Follow me down
by thesituation016
Summary: Priscilla and Aimee are going on an adventure and if you're brave enough you'll come along for the ride. Trust me, you won't regret it. :D {This is a cross over, but i wanted to put it in a place with more foot traffic}
1. Follow Me Down

FOLLOW ME DOWN

Aimee let out a big sigh. "Priscilla, I'm bored let's do something," Aimee yelled loudly.

"I'm right beside you Aimee. You don't have to yell," Priscilla yelled in Aimee's ear while rubbing her own hurting ears.

"Ahh," Aimee yelled in pain as she fell backwards off the park bench. "That was uncalled for." Aimee complained as she scrambled off the ground, dusted herself off, and plopped back onto the bench. Crossing her arms she resumed her bored expression.

"Well yelling in my ear while I'm trying to eat is uncalled for too." Priscilla said giving an annoyed sigh.

Aimee and Priscilla had been hard at work at their parent's local businesses. Aimee's parents owned an acrobatic arena called the Celestial Stage, where they performed all sorts of stories in the air on tight ropes, tusse, trampolines, and all sorts of other acrobatic tools. They were currently in the process of performing 'Cats, the musical'. They had the music on CD.

Priscilla's parents owned an opera house called the Silver Palace Theatre Company where they put on opera's, ballets, musicals, and much more. They were doing the musical version of 'Beauty and the Beast'. Both were very popular tourist attractions and on special occasions they would come together to put on special performances. It was around eleven o'clock when the girls they were going to take a break from practice and decided to have a picnic. Aimee had long since gobbled down her food and was now bored.

"You've barely taken a bite in the past ten minutes so don't get mad at me," Aimee grumbled before smirking and jumping on Priscilla. "Rawr," Aimee yelled as she tackled Priscilla off the bench.

"Aimee," Priscilla yelled as she fell onto the ground.

Aimee smiled goofily before laughing and getting off Priscilla. Priscilla fixed her hair by just running her hand through it, which made it nice and neat once again, a feat Aimee, had always envied, and then Priscilla threw a nearby clump of dry dirt at Aimee.

"Hey, bad monkey." Aimee exclaimed while brushing the dirt off her shirt were the clump had hit her.

"You're the monkey." Priscilla said with a roll of her eyes.

"Oh yeah then where are my bananas?" Aimee asked with a smirk on her face.

Priscilla pulled a banana from behind her back. Aimee's eyes grew wide as Priscilla taunted her with the banana. Priscilla threw the banana and Aimee lunged for it.

"Monkey!" Priscilla said victoriously.

Aimee glared at Priscilla and with a mouth full of banana she said, "You know, no one likes you."

Looking at Priscilla and Aimee you would have thought they were strange to say the least and you'd probably be right, but not only because of how they acted, but because of their appearance.

Priscilla had long white hair in a mermaid cut and silver eyes with a purple starburst in the middle and Aimee had long straight rose colored hair and emerald green eyes. Now you might not think that is not strange at all, but it is because they came by these traits naturally.

"You know what you have way too much energy today. I wish the goblins would take you away right now so I could have some peace and quiet." Priscilla said as she stood up.

"Well I wish the goblins would take you away right now too so I can bug you some more." Aimee said with a smile as she threw her banana peel at Priscilla, it didn't even come close to hitting her. Silence was all to be heard for a few minutes. Both girls sighed when nothing happened.

"We need help if we really thought…"Aimee was interrupted by the sudden movement of the ground.

"What's happening?" Yelled Priscilla, but as suddenly as it had started the vibrations stopped. The girls looked at each other and shrugged thinking it was nothing. They were walking back to the park bench when it happened.


	2. We Fell Down a Hole

"Ahhhhh," Priscilla and Aimee screamed in surprise when the ground went out from under them. They fell and landed in a dimly lighted room of some kind and quite shabby from what they could see, there was also a lot of movement in the room.

"Hey who touched my butt?" Aimee shrieked as she jumped off the floor. She ran over to Priscilla and grabbed her. "Something touched my butt." Aimee said angrily as she looked around the room. Aimee was big on personal space and didn't like anyone touching her un less they had her permission.

"Who?" Priscilla asked thinking Aimee was going crazy until giggles erupted around the room.

"Goblins," Aimee answered as she jumped and grabbed a goblin that tried to hide. "Did you touch my butt?" Aimee growled in the goblin's face.

"No," the little goblin yelled in fear at Aimee's angry expression.

When Aimee let go of the goblin, a light was turned on in the room. It wasn't very large and seemed to have no exits, there were at least five goblins surrounding them, the room had an old wooden table and chairs of all sizes surrounded it, and pushed up against the far wall was a regular sized bed with someone that was not a goblin, judging by their size, laying on it. They could not tell what they looked like because they were covered up in a thick blanket.

"This is entirely your fault." said Priscilla in a monotone voice.

"I'd argue, but you're probably right." said Aimee with a shrug.

"It worked." Said the goblin closest to Aimee excitedly, he was extremely small, had messy white hair and large red eyes.

"Are you sure these are the ones that can save the labyrinth and get rid of the bad man?" said another similar looking, but larger goblin wearing a spiky helmet.

"Wait. What do you mean save the labyrinth? Isn't it Jareth's job to protect the labyrinth?" asked Priscilla.

"You know kingie?" asked a surprised goblin with messy red hair and green eyes.

"Yeah, he's the main character in one of our favorite movies. Plus Prissy totally has a crush on him." said Aimee while nudging Priscilla, who in turn elbowed Aimee in the stomach causing her to double over. "Ah, my squidily sqooch."

"That's not true. I didn't even know he was real until now." said Priscilla defensively.

"What is movie?" Asked a larger goblin that was wearing a horned helmet.

"SSSHHH!" all of the goblins said to the bigger goblin who promptly shut his mouth and put a hand over it.

"Sorry." He mumbled.

"Quiet Muzguz, first we need tell girlies our names and why we bring them here." said the one in the spiked helmet.

They were interrupted before they could continue on to tell who they were and why they were here by a door forming seemingly from nowhere and opening to let in the most recognizable of goblins.

"Hoggle" said a surprised Aimee and Priscilla. He jumped at the sudden sound.

"Oh, it's you." He said. The girls exchanged knowing looks and stifled their giggles. "Have you told them why they're here?"

"Not yet." Said Tabukan, Hoggle sighed and turned to the girls.

"It's a long story so you might want to sit down." He gestured to some empty seats, but he too was interrupted by a groan from the bed. The man who sat up in the bed caused the girls mouths to drop. If the frizzy orange hair, strangely colored face, and clothes were not enough of a hint to his identity what he said next gave him away completely.

"Where's my hat?" Nosbur grabbed it from a shelf in the corner of the room that the girls had not noticed before and handed it to him. The man cautiously took it from the little goblin and plopped it on his head.

Aimee tried to ignore Priscilla nudging her in the side when they realized who he was. It was her revenge for earlier. He looked around the room before his eyes settled on Aimee who was fidgeting nervously. He kept starring at her and Aimee couldn't look away from those amazing eyes.

"What?" asked Aimee nervously.

"Have you any idea why a raven is like a writing desk?" He looked genuinely curious of her answer, and she raised her eyebrows.

"No. Not really. Why?" Aimee said.

"I haven't the faintest idea." He said with a wide smile, to which Aimee and Priscilla exchanged a look and started to laugh hysterically. This seemed to please him and he joined in with their laughter. They calmed down when Hoggle cleared his throat loudly.

"If you don't mind we do have important things to discuss. Let's start with the introductions. Since you know who I am we'll skip me." he motioned for the others to proceed.

"I Tabukan he Muzguz." said the spiked helmeted goblin while pointing to the large goblin.

"I Nosbur." said the young red headed goblin.

"I Gratz." said the messy white hared girl goblin, then it was the girls and hatters turn.

"I'm Aimee Knight, this is Priscilla Fairchild, and this is Tarrant Hightopp a.k.a The Mad Hatter." said Aimee.

"I'm sorry have we met?" asked Hatter confusedly.

"Not in person. You see in our world you; all of you in fact are just stories. Well at least you were just stories until now." Priscilla and Aimee then went on to explain how they knew them.

"So that's how girlie know kingie." said Nosbur.

"Well that's interesting and it sure saves me a lot of explaining and convincing, but we need to get down to why you are all here. The labyrinth is in trouble and Jareth is missing." said Hoggle.

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN MISSING?" yelled the girls together causing everyone in the room to jump.

"I'm gettin' to that." he said gruffly the continued on. He motioned for the Hatter to join them and Priscilla didn't even try to stifle her giggles as Hatter sat closely next to Aimee who was turning redder than a tomato. "His name is Fanyr and he is Jareth's brother." Before he could go on he was once again interrupted.

"HIS BROTHER?" The girls exclaimed loudly causing the small group to startle once again. The girls quickly apologized for startling them.

"The movie never mentioned a brother." Priscilla said.

"Yes, well he probably wasn't mentioned because he was banished long ago. He tried to steal the crown years ago when he was thirteen and Jareth was twelve." said Hoggle.

"But if Fanyr is the oldest brother shouldn't he be king?" asked Aimee.

"He was going to be but Jareth and Fanyr's parents saw that he was bad news. They could sense the evil in 'em. They made the final decision to give Jareth the crown when the Labyrinth rejected Fanyr. He was so angry that he tried to take the crown by force and nearly killed Jareth. He was banished because of it, now he is back and has stolen Jareth's crystals. From what we understand four of the five crystals flew away from him and hid themselves in the labyrinth, he was only able to keep a hold of one, we have found two, and the other two are still hidden somewhere in the labyrinth along with Jareth. Without the crystal or Jareth the labyrinth is falling into darkness" Hoggle finished.

"Wait, first of all, what do you mean Jareth's hidden in the labyrinth?"Asked Priscilla.

"Fanyr has trapped Jareth in one of his own oubliettes we've been looking for him, but we can't find him and we can't get past Fanyr's minions, they're all around the labyrinth. We tried using the crystals, but nothing happened until Nosbur wished for a way to save the kingdom, then you two appeared in the crystal, and then we had Nosbur wish you here so you could defeat Fanyr."Hoggle explained.


	3. You want us to do what?

"So let me get this straight, you want us to find these crystals, free Jareth, and battle it out with Jareth's evil older brother, all the while risking life and limb to do so."Said Priscilla. The goblins all nodded and Hoggle just sat there. The girls sat in silence for a moment.

"ARE YOU CRAZY?" Yelled Aimee suddenly. "We have no weapons, no fighting skills, and I'm pretty sure Fanyr has magic powers like Jareth, which we also don't have. I mean Jareth can change into an owl and he's good so what can Fanyr change into if he's evil, a dragon?" Aimee and Priscilla laughed nervously until they noticed the goblins had started to shift nervously, causing their nervous laughter to die.

"He can change into a dragon can't he?" Asked Priscilla reading the goblins expressions, they all nodded.

"Great." Said Aimee sarcastically.

"We're not gonna send you into battle unarmed, so calm down, here." From his pocket Hoggle produced two of Jareth's crystals. The girls took them and looked them over.

"Wait, you said you couldn't use these, what makes you think we can?" Asked Priscilla.

"Cuz they didn't glow when we held them." the girls looked down and sure enough the crystals were glowing. When they stopped the girls were not only holding the crystals, but a necklace too.

"Wow, it's beautiful." Said Aimee, who was holding a cat-eye purple tear drop jewel surrounded by gold on a chain with seventeen sparsely strong gold beads.

"This is amazing." Said Priscilla, who was holding an intricately made gold and silver owl pendent with ruby eyes on a Silver chain, it was so detailed.

'_Hi Pricilla, it's nice to finally talk to you.' _Priscilla's eyes widened in alarm because the voice had come from inside her head.

'_I must be losing my mind.' _Thought Priscilla, but from the look on Aimee's face she was having the same experience.

_ 'You're not losing your mind, my name is Aeryck and I'm your familiar. I'm in the form of the owl pendant your holding. Here let me establish a connection with Aimee's familiar, there. Hey Zora, can you and Aimee hear me?'_ Asked Aeryck.

_'Hey Aimee, long time no see.' _Said a voice in Aimee's head causing her to jump in surprise.

'_Who's there?' _Asked Aimee.

_'My name is Zora and I'm your familiar. You know the pendant your holding, that's me. Oh, wait, Aeryck wants us to connect with him and Priscilla.' _Said Zora.

_'Yes, we can hear you. Do you want to explain what we can do or should I?' _asked Zora.

'_I will. You see we are in a sense an extension of yourselves we've been with you since birth, but have lain dormant until Jareth's crystals activated us.' _Explained Aeryck.

'_So what do you do?' _asked Priscilla.

'_Well, for Aimee, I can take on the form of a cat, increase your acrobatic abilities, and two swords to which I will provide the knowledge on how to use and you will also have the ability to change the form of your weapon at will. I also give you the ability control the elements fire and earth.' _Said Zora.

'_Coonlness.' _Aimee replied.

'_I can take on the form of a snow owl, give you angel wings, and a bow and arrow set to which I will give the knowledge to use them. You'll also have the ability to manipulate wind and water and you will also have the ability to change the form of your weapon at will.' _Said Aeryck.

'_Nice.' _Said Priscilla.

'_Whenever you need us well be there.' _said Aeryck, the girls could feel Zora nodding in agreement. When the girls came to they found that no more than a second had passed by.

"That was new." Said Priscilla.

"You can say that again." Said Aimee, but gave Priscilla a look when she opened her mouth to do so. Priscilla snapped her mouth closed and smiled innocently at Aimee, and then a thoughtful look crossed her face.

"Wait, then how did you get here?" asked Priscilla, interested in what happened, Aimee turned to the Hatter.

"Oh, I was out for a walk and soon found myself lost in thought, which is a strange place to be, and when I came to myself again I found I was on the outskirts of a great maze. When I started down the hill I slipped and must have hit my head. When I awoke I found myself here with you and I'm happy about that because I always like to help and you all look like you could use some help and…"he just kept going and going, until Aimee remembered how to stop him.

"HATTER!" Said Aimee.

"Fizz… I'm fine."He cleared his throat and nodded his thanks to Aimee. "I tend to get carried away, but I meant it when I said I would help you both."

"That would be great." Said Aimee and blushed when the Hatter smiled at her.

"So where do we start?" asked Priscilla.

"This way." said Hoggle. Before they could step through the door he held up his hand, motioning for them to stop. Then he turned to the girls and gave them some much needed magical items.

To Priscilla he gave her a satchel that no matter how much you put into it, it would never get heavier and could never fill up. He had already put in a few things they would need for their excursion.

To Aimee he gave a small folded piece of red and white checkered cloth and explained that all she had to do was say 'Table set yourself,' and it will set its self with any kind of food you want and when you're done say 'Thank you for a fine meal,' and will fold its self back up.

"Do you have a weapon?" asked Hoggle facing Hatter.

"No, I left my long sword at home."Said hatter distraughtly. Hoggle started going through his pockets and pulled out a broach in the shape of a sword.

"Whenever you're in a fight and need a weapon just hold onto this and it will change into any kind of sword you want." Hoggle handed it to Hatter.

He went through the door he had previously used and led them up to the beginning of the labyrinth. The first thing they noticed when they were outside was how dark it was thick clouds covered the sun.


	4. And Here We Go

They hid behind some bushes because at the opening to the labyrinth were three monstrous looking guards. Their eyes were a pale yellow, their skin was mottled and deformed, their hands and feet were claws, and when one opened its mouth they could see rows of razor sharp metal teeth. They wore Viking armor and carried giant battle axes.

"Durgs." Muttered Hoggle.

"You've got to be kidding me. How are we supposed to get past them?" Whispered Priscilla.

"Can't we go around?" Asked Aimee.

"That's the easiest way in, believe it or not." Said Hoggle.

"_Hey aren't you forgetting something?" _Said a voice in Aimee and Priscilla's head. They exchanged a brief look and put on their necklaces.

A gold and silver sparkling mist surrounded Priscilla and a sudden burst of light dispelled the mist to reveal Priscilla in an entirely new outfit. She was wearing a strapless sweet heart top dress that had a corsage of burgundy flowers on top the left side. The top main part of the dress was silver that feathered gold at the tips. The skirt was burgundy and consisted of white feathers over it detailed in gold and silver. Her boots were silver with gold straps and topped in gold. She had silver gloves that went up to her shoulders and topped in gold and with gold criss crossing straps and burgundy lace cuffs. Her necklace was now longer and had gained some sparsely beaded burgundy beads. A burgundy cape was tied to her waist. It had gold, silver, and white feathers down the middle. An owl encrusted quiver now hung on her back, full of arrows. To complete her outfit was an owl shaped gold tiara. It had gold wings that flowed into a silver beak with burgundy crystals for eyes. Her lips were now ruby red, her eye lids were lightly dusted with shimmering gold, and her cheeks softly veiled in a light rose colored blush.

Aimee was enveloped in green, purple, and pink lights that covered her from head to toe then dispersed suddenly and flew away like fireflies to reveal Aimee wearing a deep purple and yellow green ring leader outfit. She wore a deep purple jacket that ended at the back of her knees in two tails; the sleeves ended at her elbows in yellow green ruffles, and had a yellow green cuffed neck. Underneath the jacket was a yellow green corset with deep purple lines and tied up the front with deep purple string. The deep purple pants tucked into deep purple thigh high boots with two yellow green straps with deep purple buckles at the top and at the ankles. She also had deep purple gloves with yellow green deep purple shredded ruffles with black and white stripped fitted gloves underneath. Her necklace turned into a yellow green choker with the same deep purple tear drop jewel and deep purple lace around the edges. Then to complete the ensemble was a deep purple top hat with a yellow green scarf and a deep purple and pink flower. Yellow green eye shadow with pink and deep purple accents covered her eyes and a pink lip gloss covered her lips. Aimee blushed when she noticed the Hatter giving her a once over. Hatter quickly looked away when he saw that Aimee had seen him looking her over.

The girls were shocked, to say the least, about the transformation and it was no longer just the four of them. Perched on Priscilla's arm was the most beautiful white and gold snow owl that anyone had ever seen with eyes like rubies and when its feathers rustled in the wind you could catch a glimpse of silver fish scales edged in gold. Sitting on Aimee's shoulder was the strangest cat ever seen. It was deep purple with yellow green accents, a deep purple jewel on its for head, yellow green eyes lined in deep purple, and a yellow green tipped tail.

"Aeryck." Said Priscilla cautiously.

"Yeah, who'd you think it was?" Said Aeryck. Aimee looked at the cat perched on her shoulder and smiled.

"Zora you look awesome." The cat preened a little, but then turned serious.

"Now is not the time for compliments. You two have to get into that labyrinth." Said Zora.

"How?" Asked Priscilla.

"Personally, I've always preferred the direct approach." Said a thick Scottish accent and with that Hatter let out a battle cry and turned the broach into an extremely long sword and started to attack the monsters. Pricilla gave Aimee a look that screamed and you like this guy.

"He's not called the Mad Hatter for nothing." Shrugged Aimee as she drew her own twin swords and charged into battle with the Hatter as Zora and Aeryck disappeared back into Aimee and Priscilla's necklaces.

The hatter was fighting off two of the monsters and Aimee was handling the third. The two of them fought well together, blocking blows meant for the other. It was like an intricate dance, but Aimee got too comfortable and didn't notice the monster behind her until it let out a sickening half gasp of pain and fell to the ground soon joined by the other two. A long owl feathered arrow was sticking out of its neck. Looking up she saw Priscilla standing with her bow in hand smirking slightly.

"An excellent shot m'lady."Said Hatter. Aimee was still in shock when Priscilla grinned and walked over to them.

"Eyes open girl, can't protect you all the time." Said Priscilla as she lightly flicked Aimee's forehead.

"It was a lucky shot." Said Aimee while smiling broadly and rubbing her forehead, obviously thankful to Priscilla.

"Don't get too confident, those things are nothing compared to what's in the labyrinth now." Said Hoggle. "Are you Ready, because once you go in no one from the outside the labyrinth walls can help you."

"Well we've always wanted to have an adventure." Said Priscilla as Aimee nodded in agreement and with that Hoggle opened the doors and they went in.

The sound of Hoggle closing the doors echoed hollowly through the labyrinth.

"We better get started. Left or right?" asked Aimee, without hesitation Priscilla turned right and started down the passage way. Aimee and Hatter exchanged a look and followed closely behind, vigil for any threats not knowing the biggest threat of all was already watching them.


	5. The Bad Guy

"My lord, my lord." Yelled a frantic little creature. He came to a sudden stop before a man lounging on a twisted red and black throne and bowed.

"What is it?" drawled a low voice.

"There are runners in the labyrinth." It squeaked out. Dark purple eyes surrounded by a red ring flashed violently. In one swift movement the figure glided down from his throne ceased the creature by the throat and lifted him to his own eye level.

"How?" the voice hissed as smoke escaped his mouth.

"They over powered the durgs at the entrance." The creature stuttered.

"How many are there?" the voice asked.

"Three my lord." He replied. The man dropped the creature and walked back to his throne, and picked up a small looking glass, it glowed and a picture started to come into focus, in the picture were two girls and a strange looking man. He was about to dismiss the looking glass when one of the girls caught his attention. She had long wavy white hair with silver streaks and gorgeous silver eyes with a starburst of amethyst. Her lips were a full and inviting dusty red and her skin was a soft peach color.

"Beautiful." He mumbled "Alert the guards throughout the labyrinth, I want them brought back alive."He dismissed the creature and turned back to the crystal.

"Let's see what my dear little brother makes of you." With a flick of his wrist he disappeared from the throne room.


	6. The Worm Hole

"Where the heck is that worm hole?" mumble Priscilla. They walked down the long passageway and the girls could see how badly the labyrinth had been infected with the loss of Jareth. The once sparkling walls were now covered in slime, dirt, and spider webs. On the ground were dying tree limbs and every once in a while some unidentifiable creature would scuttle across the dirty ground.

Hatter was close behind Aimee and Pricilla was up ahead. Aimee and Hatter were a having a conversation about their homes and friends, anything to get their minds off their dark surroundings. They laughed when relating funny incidents and Priscilla would interject a few times with stories of her own, but for the most part she wanted to find that worm hole. She had just stepped over a fallen tree branch when a cold shiver ran down her spine that stopped her in her tracks. She had the distinct feeling that someone was watching her in a way she found disturbing. Aimee almost ran into Priscilla who had stopped suddenly and was standing as still as a statue, looking in the direction of the castle.

"Hey, Priscilla, what's wrong?" asked Aimee. The Hatter had also stopped and was also giving Priscilla a worried look.

"Do you see something?" asked Hatter.

"I had the weirdest feeling that we were being watched." This had everyone looking around for the source of this feeling but when nothing was found they decided to move on, but this time they were a little more cautious.

"Look, there it is," Said Priscilla. "But how do we get his attention?"

"Knock I guess." Aimee said and proceeded to do so, when nothing happened Hatter tried calling into the hole.

"Hello, anyone home?" said Hatter.

"Who's there?" asked a shaky voice.

"My name is Priscilla and these are my friends Aimee and Hatter. We need your help." Said Priscilla. A moment later the tiny worm poked his head out of the hole. He looked tired and scarred.

"What you need my help for?" he asked timidly.

"We need to get through the labyrinth, but can't find an opening." Said Hatter.

"Why would you want to do that? Haven't you noticed that the labyrinth has been taken over by an evil man? He's completely ruined the place. I can hardly find enough food for my family it's so bad." He said sadly.

"That's horrible." Said Aimee.

"But that's why we need to get through the labyrinth. We're going to defeat him." Said Priscilla confidently.

"Really?" he asked hopefully.

"Really." Said Priscilla giving him a gentle look.

"Then the opening is right across from you. Good luck." He said.

"_Zora, you said I could control earth, right?" _asked Aimee.

"_Yes, why?" _Zora asked back.

"_Can I make plants grow?" _Zora started to see what she was getting at.

"_Yes, but it takes a lot of energy and you aren't ready yet." _She said.

"_I have to try. They're starving." _Countered Aimee.

"_Concentrate on the plant you want then put your hands to the ground." _Conceded Zora.

Aimee did as Zora instructed and pictured an apple tree with branches laden with fresh apples. Hatter and Priscilla were surprised to see a green glow come from Aimee's hands and spread into the ground. Then to their further surprise an apple tree grew right in front of them in a matter of minutes. When Aimee opened her eyes and saw the apple tree she smiled then to the concern of the others slumped over on the ground in a dead faint.

"AIMEE!" yelled Hatter and Priscilla. Hatter reached her first and cradled her in his arms.

"_Aeryck, what's wrong with her?" Priscilla asked._

"_Nothing, she just used too much energy making that tree. She just needs a little rest." He explained._

"_Thank goodness." Priscilla exhaled a breath she didn't know she was holding._

Priscilla told the others what Aeryck said and everyone was relieved. Priscilla noticed that the Hatter seemed especially relieved and was holding Aimee rather tightly.

'Hmmm, interesting.' Thought Priscilla.

Hatter's own thoughts were on the same thing. Why had he been so scarred when Aimee had slumped over like that? True that they had become quick friends, and he loved her laugh and her smile, but did that mean he was feeling something more for her so soon?

"When she wakes up give her me and my family's thanks, will you." He said gratefully.

Priscilla, before leaving, picked an apple and watched in fascination as another apple instantly replaced it. She picked a few more with the worm permission, seeing as they grew back instantly he had no problem sharing. She stuck them in the pack Hoggle had given her. Hatter picked Aimee up, still thinking on his emotions, and followed Priscilla through the opening while carrying her, and soon they were in a different part of the labyrinth.


	7. BrothersEnemies

Jareth sat on the dirty floor of his own oubliette, chained to a wall, and angry beyond words that he let his brother get a hold of his crystals and the labyrinth. In his cockiness he had let down his guard and now look at where he was, beaten and chained to a wall. Knowing the only reason he was alive was to keep the labyrinth alive. As long as Fanyr didn't find the other crystal hidden in the labyrinth he would live, if you could call this living.

Jareth became aware of his brothers presence in the dark oubliette and let out an inaudible sigh. A light from nowhere filled the room causing Jareth to be momentarily blinded.

"Brother, you never cease to amaze me. Even when it seems you have nothing left you still have trick or two hidden up your sleeve." He laughed evilly as he crouched down to Jareth's eye level. They glared at each other for a moment. Jareth was trying to figure out what he was getting at and Fanyr was watching for signs of worry.

"Who are they?" he asked in a quiet threatening voice.

"Who are who?" Asked Jareth in a voice that screamed I could care less voice.

"DO NOT PLAY GAMES WITH ME BROTHER." Fanyr bellowed in Jareth's face while grabbing his hair and pulling his head back, painfully. He took out the small looking glass and showed him the girls and the strange man.

"Now tell me who they are." Fanyr demanded through clenched teeth. Jareth studied them, but even if he did know them he would not tell his brother.

"I've never seen them before." He said. Fanyr hit him across the face and kept demanding an answer, but Jareth had none to give.

"I will get the answers I need one way or another, brother and you will be sorry when I do." With that Fanyr and the light vanished leaving Jareth in the dark once again, but now he had something to think on.

'_Who were those people?'_ he thought.


	8. Can I Call You Tarrant

Aimee was having such a good rest, but could feel the tug of wakefulness brining her back into the real world. In a last effort to fall back asleep, Aimee snuggled into her comfy pillow and let out a contented sigh. Then she realized her pillow was breathing.

Her eyes snapped open and found herself starring into a pair of lime green eyes. Her pillow turned out to be the Hatters chest and she was lying in his lap, with his arms around her. Noticing that she was awake he let her go, Aimee shyly got off his lap and blushing like mad the whole time.

"Thank you, Tarrant." She said quietly.

"It was my pleasure." He replied, not showing it, but happy that she had called him by his name. It gave him a warm feeling in his stomach and caused the butterflies there in to take wing. They sat in an awkward silence, and only the crackling fire to be heard, before Aimee realized she had called him by his name.

"Is it okay if I call you Tarrant?" Aimee asked him.

"Yes, of course." He replied earnestly. Another silence fell around them and it was then that Aimee noticed Priscilla was missing.

"Where's Priscilla?" Aimee asked worriedly.

"Oh, she's over there." Aimee then noticed the outline of Priscilla's sleeping form. Aimee shivered when a stray breeze blew by. She went over to Priscilla's sleeping form and dug through the satchel until she found two warm blankets, she then walked back over to Tarrant and handed him one.

"Here, you must be cold." She said. He nodded his thanks. Aimee felt a slight shock of electricity when his fingers brushed hers as he took it. "Why don't you get some sleep and I'll keep watch for a while."

"No, that would be ungentlemanly of me, I will stay up." Seeing that he was not going to budge on the matter Aimee compromised.

"Then I will stay up with you." Tarrant sensing her own stubbornness on the matter nodded his consent. They spent most of the night telling jokes and stories. Tarrant was very much interested in her hobbies such as writing, dancing, and she even confided in him of her dream to be a great acrobat while Tarrant told her about hat making and even promised to show her how to make them one day. They talked until Aimee fell asleep on Tarrant's shoulder and Tarrant had laid his head on hers and followed her into sleep.


	9. Alanis

The next morning Priscilla woke up first, stretching; she got up and seeing Aimee and Hatter was momentarily like awww, that's so cute. She quietly crept up to them and bent down to pick a piece of long grass.

She bent down and tickled Aimee's nose and watched as she halfheartedly waved her hand to get rid of the source. Priscilla repeated the jester and Aimee swatted at it, but hit Hatter on the chest instead which startled him and caused him to get up quickly which caused Aimee to fall over. Hatter seeing what he'd done helped Aimee up. Priscilla's laughter interrupted Hatter's apologies. Aimee glared and began chasing Priscilla around the camp, promising revenge all the while Hatter watched with an amused expression. A sudden shrill scream interrupted their antics.

"What was that?" Asked Aimee as she released Priscilla from the head lock she had her in, no one had a chance to reply because the owner of the scream came flying in to their camp site.

It was a sprite that could fit in the palm of your hand with short wavy green hair and red eyes lined in orange; she was wearing a dark green leaf skirt, with a dark green midriff leaf top decorated with orange and red tropical flowers.

Following closely behind her were three bat like creatures. They had the general bodies of bats but they had the tails of a fox and the legs of a chicken. They were closing in fast. Priscilla drew her bow and took them out in three swift shots.

"Are you okay?" Asked Priscilla. The little sprite got to its feet shakily then fell over. Priscilla caught her before she could hit the ground. She gently cradled the small sprite in her hands. Hatter and Aimee cautiously approached, not wanting to scare the little being anymore than it already was. She was sitting up now and starring fearfully at her surroundings.

"It's okay. We got rid of those bat things, you safe now." Said Aimee. The sprite smiled and leaped into the air.

"Thank you so much. It's not safe for anyone in this labyrinth any more. My name is Alanis. What's yours?" The little sprite talked extremely fast and excitedly.

"I'm Aimee."

"I'm Priscilla."

"And I'm Tarrant Hightopp or you can call me Hatter." After introductions they invited the sprite to join them for breakfast.

"Table set yourself." commanded Aimee and the table obeyed. After breakfast Aimee thanked the table cloth for the meal and they got ready to continue.

"Can I come with you?" Asked the Alanis. The small group exchanged quick glances.

"That might not be a good idea Alanis." Said Priscilla.

"Yeah, we're going against some really bad guys and we might not be able to protect you." Said Aimee.

"I can hide when the bad guys come. Plus I can help you through the labyrinth." She argued.

"Huddle." Aimee said as Priscilla came over. Aimee had to grab Hatter and drag him over since he didn't know what a huddle was.

"What should we do? I mean we do need help through this labyrinth." Said Aimee.

"But what if she gets hurt?" Countered Priscilla.

"Well it's not like she was doing so hot before she met us." Aimee replied.

"True. What do you think Hatter?" asked Priscilla.

"I think we need all the help we can get." He replied, Priscilla nodded and turned back to Alanis.

"You're in, but you have to find and stay in a safe place when we're fighting, agreed?" asked Priscilla.

"Agreed." Said Alanis.


	10. Tricked

"They've accepted her, perfect. It's all coming together." Fanyr smiled slightly, showing his sharp fangs. He was holding his looking glass and had it focused on Priscilla.

"Soon you will be mine." He murmured as he watched her continue unknowingly towards him.


	11. Upgrade

It was late in the afternoon as Alanis lead the small group down the rest of the path that lead to the changing way part of the labyrinth. This part of the labyrinth was just affected as the first part. It was crumbling; the stones had turned black, jagged red spikes jutted out from the walls, medieval torches crackled an eerie purple color, and gave the overall feeling of haunted house.

"Okay, I'm officially freaked." Said Aimee nervously.

"Don't worry Aimee all will be well." Tarrant said as he put his arm around Aimee. Priscilla made ooh and awe noises, which Aimee replied to in a calm and mature manner. She stuck her tongue out at her.

"This way." Said Alanis as she turned another corner.

As they went along Priscilla could have sworn she heard the snorting of a bull, but whenever she asked the others if they heard anything they would reply they hadn't heard a thing. Alanis was very adamant about not hearing anything to the point she almost seemed frantic. This made Priscilla a little suspicious, but she didn't have time to think about it. Just as they came to a fork in the path and Alanis turned left Priscilla felt a gentle, but firm tug try to lead her to the right. She froze as the others continued on trying to decide what to do. The tug became more insistent.

"Guys, I think we should go this way." Said Priscilla.

"No this is the way."Said Alanis.

"Why do you want to go that way?" asked Aimee, ignoring Alanis. Aimee wasn't a big fan of the sprite. For some reason the little bug annoyed her and gave her a bad feeling she constantly had to push away.

"I just have this feeling, but I know we need to go this way." said Priscilla mysteriously, but she had a look of determination on her face. Aimee nodded.

"Okay. We're going right." Said Aimee, she trusted her friend completely.

"Then let's go." Said Hatter.

No one noticed the look of anger on Alanis's face as they went down the right path. It closed up behind them so there was no turning back now. As they made their way they all started to hear the snorting that Priscilla mentioned earlier, but it was far away.

They continued on their way keeping an eye out for the source of the sound when, they came upon a small dome like structure in the middle of an intersection of five paths. There was an ornate wooden door right in front of them. When Priscilla and Aimee approached the door it opened of its own will and revealed a pedestal in the center of the room. Nestled on a cushion was one of Jareth's crystals.

"We found it." Said Priscilla.

"You're surprised?" asked Aimee.

"Yes." Replied Priscilla bluntly.

"Yeah, me too." Aimee said.

Outside, Hatter and Alanis watched as the girls approached the dome. Hatter glanced at Alanis when he noticed her shaking. She looked angry as she fluttered there with her tiny fists clenched. He was about to say something, but just then a loud roar echoed throughout the area stopping the girls in their tracks.

The roar had emanated from a giant buffalo human hybrid. He had a large head set on a massive neck and broad shoulders giving him a brutish appearance. He had deep-set red eyes and yellow horns. Instead of hands he had a pair of large flexible hooves that served as hands and large hooved feet. He wore red, black, and grey armor and carried a giant broadsword.

"What is that?"Aimee exclaimed.

"A Minotaur!" screamed Priscilla. Aimee and Priscilla had to jump as the Minotaur brought his sword down between them. The girls scrambled to their feet and drew their weapons. Hatter joined them as they began to fight the giant creature, but Hatter and Aimee's sword just clanged off the armor and Priscilla's arrows couldn't penetrate it. While this was happening Alanis was trying to get the crystal, but an invisible force held her back.

"It's not working." Yelled Hatter as he dodged another blow.

"What are we going to do?" screamed Priscilla.

"_Get the crystal. It will give you the energy you need to activate your elemental powers." _Said Aeryck.

"_Hurry! Only one of you needs to touch it for both of you to receive the energy." _Added Zora.

"Priscilla you go. You're the fastest." Aimee yelled as she flipped under the Minotaur's swinging sword.

She nodded while Aimee and Hatter held off the Minotaur.

"Toro, Toro."Aimee taunted to draw the bulls attention.

Priscilla ran for the crystal, but the monster saw what she was doing and tried to hit her from behind. Aimee blocked it just in time with her swords causing her to stumble backwards and making her drop her swords in the process by the sheer force of the hit. Hatter tried to get to her, but the monster back handed him into a wall and lifted his blade over Aimee. He was about to bring it down on Aimee when all of the sudden she felt a new serge of energy.

Priscilla stood in the dome holding the crystal in her hands. A jolt of energy coursed from the crystal to the girls familiars.

"_What is this?" _asked Aimee.

"_It is the surge of energy that will give you both the strength to use your elements." _Said Zora

"_How do we use them?" _asked Priscilla.

"_Like the weapons the knowledge is already in you. All you have to do is trust." _Said Aeryck_. _

The sword was about to hit her when a wall of earth and vines came up and blocked the fatal blow and the vines wrapped around the sword holding it in place.

"That was useful." Said Aimee, then she caught sight of Hatter. "Tarrant!" Yelled Aimee as she scrambled over to him.

The monster was struggling to get his sword out of the wall of earth and finally succeeded. He charged at Aimee who was cradling Hatter in her arms. He had been knocked out when the Minotaur had hit him; a bruise was already forming on his forehead.

She cast up another wall of earth and managed to stop the monsters attack, but it wasn't giving up that easily. Aimee also caused thorny vines to wrap around him, but they were beginning to snap. The monster would have gotten them if it wasn't for a tornado forming around him and lifting him in the air.

"Back off my friends." She lifted it until it was high above the walls and covered it in water making him freeze; she then cut the breeze off and allowed him to fall. He hit the ground and shattered into a million pieces. The moment of victory was short lived though, because when the dust cleared the labyrinth had changed Alanis fluttered next to her as Priscilla realized she was separated from the rest of the group.


	12. Separated

Aimee threw herself over Tarrant in an effort to protect him from the falling buffalo monster pieces; she slowly raised her head when the pieces stopped falling. When the dust settled the first thing Aimee noticed was the new wall and the absence of Priscilla. Aimee gently stood to her feet and laid the Hatters head down and ran to the wall.

"PRISCILLA!" Aimee screamed in a shrill voice over and over again, but it was no use, she couldn't get an answer.

"_Zora, can you contact Aeryck?" _Aimee asked desperately.

"_I am trying. It's difficult to accomplish over long distances. It seems the labyrinth has transported them a far bit. There we are. Aeryck?" _Zora concentrated.

"_It's good to hear your voice Zora. We don't have enough energy to let the girls communicate directly, but Priscilla says you should continue on and we will try to find each other along the way." _Aeryck said and Zora re-laid it to Aimee who agreed.

Aimee knelt beside the Hatter, put his head back in her lap, and was gently stroking his forehead and trying to get him to wake up.

"Tarrant, Tarrant can you hear me?" She said softly. He murmured incoherently for a moment and slowly opened his eyes and stared into Aimee's watery eyes. He sat up, groaned while rubbing his head, and was almost knocked down again when Aimee hugged him tightly causing him to blush.

"I was so worried you weren't going to wake up and then Priscilla got separated from us and everything is going wrong. What if something happens to Priscilla and I won't be able to help because she's not here and…" Aimee started to go off on an emotional rampage.

"AIMEE!" Tarrant said causing her to stop. They started at one another for a moment until they started laughing at their reversed roles. When the laughing died down, Hatter took out a multicolored hankie and handed it to Aimee.

"You look like you could use this and don't worry. I'm sure we will find Priscilla in no time at all." Hatter reassured her and hugged her to him, sighing in contentment he reluctantly let go of her. After taking care of his wound, they continued on though the Hedge maze.


	13. I Found Him

Pricilla and Alanis headed down the path that seemed to bypass the hedge maze and were now on a path through the forest. Alanis was fluttering ahead of her and impatiently waving at her to hurry up. They came to yet another fork in the road and Alanis turned left, but a familiar feeling urged her to go right.

"Alanis I think we should go right." Alanis let out a frustrated sigh and fluttered up to Priscilla and got into her face.

"Listen to me closely. That is the wrong way. Okay." She said in a bitter sweet voice that made Priscilla's hair stand on end. Something wasn't right about Alanis. Ever since she had joined their group she had been desperate to lead them down certain ways and seemed extremely angry when opposed.

"You can go any way you like, but I'm going to the right." And with that Priscilla went to the right and promptly fell down a hole. The opening closed before a stunned Alanis could even think to follow.

The hole went on for quite a while before she finally landed. Bruised and a little shaken Priscilla stood shakily to her feet only to jump in surprise when someone spoke suddenly.

"Who's there?" commanded a voice. Priscilla couldn't see a thing in the complete darkness that surrounded her. It seems her night vision didn't work in this kind of darkness.

"Who are you?" Priscilla said back. Then she got an idea. She grabbed her satchel and took out a match and candle. The room was instantly lit and Priscilla was surprised when she found out who the voice was.

"Jareth!" Priscilla gasped.


	14. Alanis Messed Up

"Master, master." Yelled Alanis franticly. Fanyr, who was lounging on his throne, rolled his eyes.

"What?" he asked in a bored voice.

"The girl has fallen into the oubliette you are holding Jareth in and is helping him escape." He yelled. Fanyr's eyes began to glow like coals and smoke rose from his nostrils. Alanis flew for her life as Fanyr burst into flame and disappeared.


	15. Saving Jareth

"Who are you may I ask? And just what is a mortal doing in my labyrinth?" Jareth asked. Priscilla shook her head in disbelief. She couldn't believe her luck.

It was Jareth in the flesh although there were some slight differences between him and the David Bowie version. He looked younger almost ageless if it wasn't for the bruises and cuts that covered his face. One of the things that remained the same, besides his attitude, were his mismatched eyes that seemed to draw Priscilla in, but the spell was broken when Jareth's condescending tone cut in.

"I believe I asked you a question." He said haughtily. Priscilla walked over to him and started to pull on his chains. He watched with a detached look at her fruitless attempts to set him free. Priscilla sighed in frustration and glared at Jareth.

"Last time I checked this wasn't exactly your labyrinth anymore." She snapped and then decided to consult Aeryck.

"_Aeryck, I need your help. How do I safely break the chains without hurting him?" _Priscilla asked.

"_Blow on the chains and think of ice." _Aeryck counseled.

Priscilla picked the chain back up and did as Aeryck said. Soon ice started to accumulate on the chains making them brittle. She then took out her dagger and broke the chains. Jareth's look of ire turned into one of amazement and shock.

"How in the underground was a mortal able to do that?" he asked in astonishment.

"I have a gift." Priscilla knelt down and held out the two crystals she had with a smirk and expertly rolled them on her hands. "Mind you, these are no ordinary crystals, and if you turn them this way they will show you your dreams."

He snatched the crystals from Priscilla's hands without a word of thanks and melded them into one. He took a shuddering breath and stood shakily on his feet there was a momentary pause and he seemed to be listening to something. He grabbed Priscilla and pushed her behind him as a burst of black flame revealed Fanyr. Priscilla side stepped and had to cast up a wall of water to protect them from the heat.

"Well, well what do we have here? I can see you have given him the crystals that you have gone through so much trouble to get. May I ask you your name?" Fanyr said with barely concealed craving lacing his voice.

"You don't deserve my name." said Priscilla as Fanyr laughed and took a menacing step forward. Jareth threw his crystal into the air and grabbed Priscilla by the waist and pulled her close.

"I will take back my kingdom brother." He spat before they disappeared in a cloud of shimmering mist.


	16. Getting to Know you

Aimee and Tarrant had been traveling for the rest of the day after the Minotaur attack and had made it through the weed filled, overgrown hedge maze when they decided to make camp.

Aimee started a fire with her new powers and brought out the table cloth. After eating Hatter and Aimee set around the fire in silence, Aimee shivered slightly when a cold breeze hit her. Since Priscilla had the satchel that contained the blankets they only had the fire to keep them warm. Aimee was just lamenting said fact when Hatter put his jacket around her as he sat down next to her, Aimee looked up at him.

"You looked cold." He explained.

"But aren't you cold?" Aimee asked with concern.

"I'll be fine." He assured Aimee, who wasn't so assured. She took off the jacket and wrapped around both of them as best she could. She blushed as Hatter put his arm around her and this also caused her body to heat up a little due to her control over fire.

'_I'm like a human furnace.'_ She mused to herself.

"How did you and Priscilla meet?" asked Hatter in order to break the silence.

"We were in the same art class at our school and hit it off real well. She had this really happy bubbly attitude, but her art was wild and a little on the messed up side, while I had this sarcastic attitude and all of my art was girlie and fairy tale like. When we pointed it out to each other we laughed so hard that the teacher made us leave the classroom, we became best friends after that." Aimee answered

"And, what's your family like?" He seemed to be very curious about her.

"Well, my father's name is Steven Knight and my mother is Ruth Knight. They own the Celestial stage, an acrobatic circus. My whole family plays parts in its production. I also have an older brother named Daniel Knight is twenty-six and a younger sister named Niccole Knight who is five, we call her 'Nikki' for short. As for what they're like," she paused for a moment before continuing. "They're crazy. We are always joking with each other and laughing. My father is very responsible and can be stern when he has to be and so can my mom, but for the most part their goofballs and so is my brother and little sister. What about your family? What are they like?" Aimee asked without thinking and immediately regretted it.

She watched as his lime green eyes became tinged with orange-red, and the odd orange-pink shading around his eyes darkened. The air around him seemed to grow tense, and Aimee knew she'd hit a sore spot.

"I'm sorry," she hastily apologized, looking down. "I forgot what happened to you and your family. I didn't mean to upset you."

Gentle orange speckled fingers slid under her chin, forcing her to look up. The Hatter's eyes were back to normal, as was the rest of him. To her surprise, there was also an apologetic expression on his pale white face, and a smile there as well, showing off a small gap between his two front teeth. He had such an adorable smile, that Aimee couldn't help but to smile back.

"I'm sorry my bonnie lass," he said, pulling her closer and surprising with the term of endearment.

"I usually get upset whenever I think about the unpleasantness of that horrible day. I loved my family very dearly. My father was the head of the Hightopp clan, his name was Barnaby. He was a good leader and always taught me to do right. My mother's name was Isabella and she was as beautiful as she was kind." He went on to describe the festival's the through and the good times they enjoyed together as a family. He talked of his love of dancing, a trait that they both shared. They talked late into the night about their families, friends, and pastimes together, before they decided it was time to go to sleep. Aimee caused a lush patch of grass to act as a mattress.

They lay back to back close together to conserve body heat. He had hesitated at first to lay that close beside her, but when Aimee insisted it was ok, he reluctantly laid down next to her. He stretched out on the left while Aimee curled up on her right side, closing her eyes. She heard him shift around a few times, and was about to ask if something was wrong when a strong arm slipped around her waist, causing her to jump in surprise.

"Forgive me," Tarrant whispered into her ear causing butterflies to erupt in her stomach, though his arm stayed put. "I just don't want you to catch cold."

'_She smells like peppermint.'_ Hatter thought as he lightly nuzzled into her hair.

Aimee could only nod as he held her so closely; usually she hated close contact with people outside her family and extremely close friends, though if truth be told she didn't mind Hatters arm around her at all. As she lay there she thought she would not be able to sleep with Hatter so close and was surprised to find herself falling into the best sleep she had had in ages as did Hatter.


	17. Fanyr's Anger

Fanyr stared at the spot that Jareth and the women had been standing moments before, and then let out an inhuman roar of frustration.

'How could I have been so stupid?' He thought as he disappeared the way he came.


	18. Aimee and Tarrant in Love

In the morning Aimee woke up and realized that some time during the night she had rolled over and had cuddled up into Tarrant's chest. Feeling like someone was watching her, she looked up and saw that Hatter was already awake and watching her with a shy lopsided grin making Aimee blush.

"Good morning." Tarrant said.

"Good morning to you too." Aimee replied still blushing.

Aimee and Tarrant were up early; they smiled shyly at each other while they got ready to continue on their way, and start through the forest.

When they entered the forest the first thing they noticed was that all of the plant life was dead, spider webs with dead animals hung everywhere, and no living animals could be heard anywhere, so it was no surprise when a twig snapped somewhere in the distance Aimee was startled and jumped about a foot in the air.

She clung to Tarrant's arm without noticing she was doing so, blushing she reluctantly let go only to have Tarrant take hold of her hand and give her a timid smile that Aimee returned as they laced their fingers together. Zora, who was walking by them, rolled her eyes. Aimee was about to say something to her when another twig to broke, but this time is was closer.

"Something is watching us." Said Tarrant in his Scottish brogue.

Before Aimee could reply six giant spiders came out from the underbrush and charged them. Aimee let out a terrified shriek as Tarrant tackled her out of the way.

"Are you okay my bonnie lass?" inquired Hatter as he helped her up.

"Yeah, I'm fine. It's just that I hate spiders." Aimee replied. That's when Hatter found out Aimee's biggest fear.

Ever since she was little and a spider had bit her Aimee had despised them. This did not bode well considering the current situation. The spiders were charging again and Aimee froze in fear unable to move. Hatter had to push Aimee out of the way and engage them in battle. He would not let harm come to his bonnie lass.

Zora, in a burst of yellow green flame and deep purple flower petals, transformed into battle mode, she had grown as large as a horse, her deep purple fur lit up with yellow green flames, and a pair of saber tooth fangs grew from her mouth. She instantly began to attack three of the spiders with her claws as big as daggers.

It was going well for them, Hatter had killed two of them and Zora had also killed two of hers and it wasn't until the last two spiders had tricked them into backed into one of its webs, effectively trapping them, that things went bad. The more they struggled the worse it got. The spiders were just about to bite them when a stream of yellow green fire hit the spiders from behind causing them to let out a piecing scream.

"Back off my man and my friend NOW!" ordered Aimee as she ran towards the spiders.

She reached down and grabbed up handfuls of grass and threw them at the spiders. The grass became razor sharp daggers and sank into the spiders.

No fear was going to make her stand by and watch Tarrant and Zora get hurt or worse. Aimee stomped on the ground causing it to crack and two boulders to jump into the air. She then kicked them at both of the spiders and crushed them. They let out one last scream as the boulders crushed them. A crashing in the underbrush alerted them that others were coming.

"Aimee, run now. Get out of here." Yelled Hatter.

"_There are more coming Aimee. Go now." _Zora also urged her.

"No, I'm not leaving you." Said Aimee. As ten spiders circled her and snapped their fangs at her.

"AIMEE RUN!" Hatter ordered.

"NO." Aimee shouted back and in her anger her hands ignited into bright yellow green flames.

"_What should I do Zora?" _Aimee asked desperately. There was no way she would leave Hatter here to die.

"_Cast lightning." _She replied.

"_I can do that. How?" _Aimee asked.

"_It's a purified form of fire. All you have to do is concentrate, picture it, and then let it happen." _Zora said.

Aimee closed her eyes, rubbed her hands together, and concentrated. Her eyes took on a menacing look and her fingertips crackled with energy and a grin that would rival the Cheshire cats formed on her face.

"Ever wonder what happens when a spider gets hit by lightning?" Aimee asked in a low whisper. Then lifted her hands in front of her and separated them forming an electrical current from hand to hand and then slapped them together. The yellow green electricity traveled from one spider to the other, killing seven of them.

"The same thing that happens to everything else." Aimee said. The other three charged her.

She pulled out her swords and slammed the hilts together. She slid her hands outwards making the combined swords extend into a double bladed staff sword. She whirled the staff sword around like a wind mill, passing it behind her back and bringing it down on the first spider effectively slicing it in half.

Another one came at her from the left and she had to side flip over it and cut its legs out from under it then stabbed it in the head. The last one came and grabbed her from behind. She managed to get loose, ran towards and up a tree, and did a spinning back flip as she shot a stream of fire down at it as she flipped. Nothing was left, but a steaming pile of incinerated spider goo.

"_You are getting better." _Zora said with a hint of pride in her voice.

After she dispensed the spiders she ran over and cut Hatter and Zora down, who transformed back into her small cat form, down. The moment Hatter was down he grabbed Aimee and hugged her close, but before she could return the hug he pulled away.

"What were you thinking? You were outnumbered and could have been killed or worse. You have to be more careful. You can't take chances like that. I don't know what I would do if something happened to you. I can't lose you. I care too much about you to lose you. I …" He was going off on another tirade and was holding on to Aimee's forearms rather painfully almost to the point of leaving bruises, but instead of shouting his name like Aimee usually did she stepped up on her tiptoes and in one swift movement kissed Hatter lightly on the lips.

He stood in complete shock for a moment as he stared into her eyes. Aimee became worried she had misinterpreted his feelings for her, and was about to apologize, but that fear was soon put to rest as Hatter pulled her back to him by her waist and kissed her soundly.


	19. When Priscilla met Jareth

When the mist cleared from Priscilla's vision she found that Jareth had transported them into the hedge maze. Everything was overgrown and weeds had taken over, plus dead patches in the shrubbery made for quite a depressing scene.

As Priscilla stood surveying her surroundings, she noticed that there was a weight on her shoulder and it was getting heavier. It was Jareth who, she realized, was still holding on to her waist and had his head resting on her shoulder.

"Get off." She said as she elbowed him in the gut causing him to stumble backwards and fall to a sitting position on the ground with a grunt.

Priscilla felt a small pang of guilt shoot through her. He was after all beaten and starved stuck in that hole for lord only knows how long. Priscilla dug into her satchel and pulled out the five apples she had gathered earlier and knelt down.

"Sorry about that. You just startled me. Here you must be hungry." She held out the apples to him and watched as he just sat there staring at them.

"Is that all you have?" he asked. Any guilt Priscilla had for him left with those words and caused her right eye to twitch in annoyance.

"Just be thankful for what you get." She snapped and dumped the apples in his lap. "Now don't move."

Jareth eyed her suspiciously as he ate the apples and she dug through her satchel. She pulled out some bandages, a large tube of something, and a box. She then turned back towards him and squeezed some of the contents of the tube onto her fingers and tried to put some on a cut on his face.

"What do you think you're doing woman?" he asked as he jerked away from her hand.

"My name is not woman and I'm just trying to help you, now stop acting like a baby and let me put this medicine on your face." Priscilla said. Jareth crossed his arms and reluctantly let her tend to his wounds.

"And what, pray tell, is your name?" He said arching an eyebrow. Priscilla looked him in the eyes and grudgingly gave him her name.

"It's Priscilla Fairchild, now take off your shirt so I can get at the wounds on your back and chest" She said looking away from him and preparing the bandages so she didn't have to face him as he took off his shirt.

When she looked back she saw just how badly he was beaten, but it didn't stop him from being so rude. Priscilla despised rude people the real Jareth could stand to learn some manners just because he was a king it didn't give him the right to treat people the way he does especially people that just went through the trouble of saving him.

Jareth took off his shirt and watched her as she applied some odd substance to his wounds. This human had found him because the labyrinth had led her to him. For some reason the labyrinth had taken to her and she was completely oblivious to this. She was a strange looking human to be sure.

"How is it that a mortal human such as you came to be in my labyrinth and receive such powers?" She reluctantly looked up at him and answered.

"It was your crystals. The goblins found two of them and wished us here. When Hoggle gave them to us they started to glow and when the glowing stopped we had these necklaces. They're our familiars and give us our powers." Priscilla explained.

"What do you mean us? There are more humans traipsing around my labyrinth." He asked, thinking back to the people Fanyr had showed him in his mirror, as if the idea truly sickened him. She just smirked at him.

"You'll see." She said. In Jareth's mind he was stunned. No human, in truth, no being of any kind ever had the gall to treat him in such a manner or deny him anything.

As he came out of his shock he noticed that Priscilla's smirk had changed into a look of concern as she noticed a particularly bad wound on his shoulder that stretched down his back to the lower part of his shoulder blade.

She leaned over to get a better look at the wound and her white hair fluttered down across his arm. A light wild flower scent tickled his nose as she shifted to clean the gash. He flinched when she touched it with a cloth and she grimaced slightly while biting her lip.

'_Speaking of her lips,'_ Jareth thought _'they looked rather inviting.'_

He realized that she was very pretty, no; she was beautiful now that he looked at her. Thinking back to the oubliette, from the look Fanyr gave her he thought so too.

The thought of Fanyr instantly turned his mood sour.

'_How could he have been so foolish as to fall into his brother's trap?'_ The very thought infuriated him.

"How did you happen to come by your strange appearance?" he asked in order to distract himself from his anger towards his brother.

Priscilla tensed and turned her head to face him, her appearance had always been a sore spot to her due to teasing from others, and she realized just how close they were.

Both of their eyes widened at their proximity. One inch closer and their lips would have touched. Priscilla blushed and jerked back causing her to almost fall over and if she didn't know any better she could have sworn she saw a faint blush on the tips of Jareth's pointed ears as he looked away.

"What about your strange appearance?" Snapped Priscilla to cover up her embarrassment and Jareth's lips twitched up in an almost smile.

"I was born this way. What about you?" He said acidly as he turned back to her.

"So was I." Priscilla bit back while lifting an eyebrow. They glared at each other momentarily and Jareth shook his head as he looked away while she finished bandaging him. Jareth didn't have the energy to argue.

"I'm going to set up camp, try to stay still." Priscilla started a fire with her flint and dug through the satchel and pulled out two blankets. She pulled out a deep purple blanket with yellow green cartoon cats all over it. She smiled to herself at the pure childlike taste of Aimee's blanket and put it back. She pulled out two other blankets, one with a silver and gold star design and another dark blue one with the same symbol as Jareth's necklace on it, and wondered what Aimee and Hatter were up to.

'_Tomorrow I will contact Aimee. It's too late into the night to do so now.'_ She thought to herself. A noise behind her drew her attention.

Jareth, in his infinite wisdom, had staggered to his feet and was trying to hobble to the fire. All of the sudden his legs buckled and he started to fall over. Priscilla had to sprint to his side to stop him from hitting the ground, but could not maintain her own balance and ended up falling with him. Priscilla hit the ground first and Jareth landed on top of her. Noticing that he was on top of her he rolled off of her as quickly as he could and sat up.

Out of the corner of his eye he saw that Priscilla had not gotten up. He looked over at her, she had covered her face with her hands and her shoulders were shaking violently. He felt a guilty pang shoot through him. Thinking he must have hurt her somehow he reached over and took her hands from her face so he could apologize.

"You're not crying." He stated, the look on his face only made Priscilla laugh harder and soon Jareth joined in until a pain in his ribs caused him to stop.

He sighed he hadn't laughed that way in so long, not since he was a child. Priscilla's laughter soon subsided into giggles and then completely faded away. A smile now lingered on her lips as she looked up at the sky.

"I miss the sky in my world, this one is beautiful, but strange." and Jareth only answered with silence.

She turned to look at him and she found that he was staring at her intently. She stared back for a moment, then blushed and turned away.

"It's time to go to bed." she said and got up to hand him a blanket. Their fingers brushed and a small sparks flew. Priscilla quickly turned away and started to make her bed.

"Thank you." Jareth said to her back "I don't want you to think I'm ungrateful for what you and your companions are doing."

Priscilla shrugged and said, "Wouldn't you do the same? Besides I've always wanted to go on an adventure." she smiled.

"You know you're quite lovely when you smile." Jareth said


	20. First Kiss

When Aimee and Tarrant separated for breath, Aimee looked down in slight embarrassment.

"I've never kissed before." Aimee said.

"Neither have I." Hatter said. "Did you like it?" He asked hesitantly.

"Yes, very much actually." Aimee said while still not looking up.

Orange speckled fingers crossed her vision and slid under her chin to lift Aimee's head up. She saw those incredible, otherworldly eyes staring into hers, and held her breath as his thumb stroked her cheek.

By now, his fingers were gently caressing Aimee's jaw, and the little tingling sensations they made caused her to close her eyes. His fingers, slightly callused from too many pinpricks and rough materials, were making Aimee's skin tickle.

Then, he kissed her again –gently, softly, and lovingly. Aimee slid her arms back around his neck as Tarrant tightened his arms around her waist. When he finished kissing her Aimee had a soft smile on her face as did Hatter.

"So did I." he said softly.

They stayed in each other's arms for a moment before a loud meow from Zora interrupted their moment, making them reluctantly let go of each other. They gathered what little supplies they had and continued on till the end of the forest were they made camp for the night.


	21. Fanyr's Scheme

Fanyr tore into the throne room, grabbed a chair, and flung it across the room where it hit the castle wall in a loud crash. He tore down curtains, kicked anything lying on the ground, and flipped over tables. Nothing was safe from his wrath. He then angrily flung himself onto his throne. He couldn't understand it. She had rejected him, denied him, and stood against him. Did she not know who he was, what he was capable of? He could tear her apart without a thought.

The more he thought about it the more infuriated he felt. She would be his, one way or another she would be his.

"Nox, come here." Fanyr ordered. A shadow tore apart from the others in the room and drifted forward. It took on the form of a cloaked man. You could not see his face because it was covered in a half skull mask and milky yellow white eyes stared lifelessly through the holes.

"You called master." It said in a scratchy voice.

"I have a job for you. There is a young woman I want you to retrieve for me." He pulled out the small looking glass and held it up for the night shade to see. In it was an image of Priscilla fast asleep. The night shade nodded.

"And what if anyone stands against me?" asked Nox.

"Kill them." Fanyr replied. When Nox left Fanyr looked into the mirror and smiled slyly.

"You will be mine very soon my sweet." Fanyr said


	22. Dream Fasted

They were in a bookstore/coffee shop. When the girls caught sight of each other they were overjoyed. They sat down at one of the tables and ordered their drinks, a latte' for Priscilla and a hot chocolate for Aimee. The waiter that brought it had no discernible features, he was just there, as were the other costumers.

"_Aimee, it's so good to see you." _Priscilla said.

"_You too." _Said Aimee_. "Where are we?"_

"_We're dream fasted. We are sharing a dream. Aeryck told me about this."_Priscilla explained_._

"_Cool." _Aimee said_. "Where are you?"_

"_We are at the beginning of the forest. Where are you?" Priscilla Asked._

"_At the end of the forest, it took us two days to get through and there are giant spiders in it. Wait, what do you mean us? Who's with you?" _Aimee asked.

"_I found Jareth." _Priscilla went on to explain what happened.

"_So Alanis was a traitor. I always had a bad feeling about her. So what's Jareth like?" _Aimee inquired.

"_Annoying, arrogant, egotistical, and a complete pain, but nice when he puts in the effort." _Priscilla said in a rush.

"_So when's the wedding?" _asked Aimee.

"_March. So how are things on your end?" _Asked Priscilla. Aimee went into a kind of nervous silence for a bit.

"_Umm… they're good… you know… same old same old." _Aimee stuttered and laughed nervously with one of her hands behind her head.

"_What Happened? Something good happened, I can tell." _Priscilla said excitedly.

"_Nothing happened." _Aimee said.

"_Aimee, I can tell your lying." _Priscilla said. Aimee went silent then mumbled something.

"_What did you say?" _Aimee mumbled a little louder and would not look up from her drink_._

"_What?" _Priscilla asked again.

"_Me and Tarrant kissed." _Aimee yelled. It took her a moment to register what Aimee had said and who Tarrant was.

"_I knew it!" _Priscilla said she looked at Aimee's happy blushing face and then laughed at her utter embarrassment.

"_I'm so happy for you! I knew this would happen from the moment you guys set eyes on each other." _Priscilla gushed and Aimee rolled her eyes.

"_Yeah, yeah. Whatever." _Aimee said still blushing. They sipped their drinks and lapsed into a comfortable silence before Priscilla spoke again.

"_What do you think our families think happened to us?" _She asked.

"_I don't know. I'm sure they're worried about us. Do you think we'll ever go back?" _Aimee asked.

"_I don't know. What about Tarrant?" _Priscilla asked. Aimee thought for a moment.

_"I'll find a way to make it work. I'm sure of it." _Aimee said, but Priscilla could tell that she was worried. They lapsed into another silence.

"_So what are we going to do now?" _Priscilla asked. After a moment of brief thought Aimee answered.

"_Me and Tarrant will wait for you and Jareth at the edge of the forest and then we will continue on together. What do you think?" _Aimee asked.

"_Sounds good." _All of the sudden the girls felt a tug.

"_I think it's time to wake up." _Said Priscilla and Aimee nodded in agreement.

"_See you soon." _Said Aimee.

"_See you soon." _Said Priscilla.


	23. Happy in Love

Aimee awoke once again in the arms of Hatter. She had her head on his chest and was enjoying the sound of his heart beat. Sighing lightly, she gently detangled herself from him and set up only to have a pair of arms wrap around her and pull her back down. She giggled as Hatter nuzzled her neck.

"Where do you think you're going my sweet bonnie lass?" Hatter mumbled into her neck enjoying the scent of peppermint that lingered on her.

"If you haven't noticed my dear sweet Tarrant, its morning and that is usually when people get up." Aimee replied. Tarrant sighed as he reluctantly stood up and helped Aimee to her feet, but before she could step away he pulled her into a kiss which Aimee happily returned.

During breakfast Aimee told Hatter about her dream fast with Priscilla and what they would do until then. They spent the rest of the morning setting up a more permanent camp. Aimee's father was big on survival techniques so it was no trouble for her to make do with what they had.

They gathered fallen tree branches and lashed them together with some spare string the Hatter had. They gathered large leaves to fashion together a crude tent. Then they gathered enough wood to last them a while for their fire. By mid afternoon they had finished setting up camp and were now exploring their surroundings for any immediate signs of danger. Zora stayed behind to guard the camp site.

"What's your world like?" Hatter asked Aimee as they walked along hand in hand.

"Oh, I don't know where to begin." Aimee replied.

"How about the beginning." Said Tarrant. Aimee smiled and rolled her eyes.

"Okay smart guy. First of all, there is no magic. Everything in governed by science and technology." Aimee went on to explain her world as best she could.

"That sounds amazing." Hatter commented.

"It is, but I always preferred nature I think. Now don't get me wrong, I appreciate the way technology makes things easier, but I could take it or leave it. As long as I have a pencil, paper and a trapeze set I'm fine." Aimee said.

"That's right, you told you liked to write and dance as I recall it." Aimee was about to comment when she saw a mischievous light in Hatters eyes right before he swept her into an energetic jig.

"You dance very well." commented Hatter as he dipped her.

"You're not so bad yourself." Aimee said as he brought her back up. They twirled, dipped, and just had a good time goofing off. They were attempting a rather difficult move when they tripped over each other's feet in their enthusiasm and fell to the ground laughing like kids.

Then in another fit of childish behavior Hatter leaned over and started to tickle Aimee relentlessly causing tears to flow down her cheeks. She finally got the upper hand and began to tickle him, only for both of them to fall back on the grass in exhaustion.

Hatter rose up on his elbow and stared into her eyes. Aimee didn't even notice that they had stopped laughing. He leaned down and gently brushed his lips against hers and then rested his forehead against hers. Both of their eyes closed in contentment.

"Aimee." Hatter whispered.

"Hmm." Aimee replied.

"I love you." Aimee's eyes snapped open and stared into Hatter's.

"Why?" she asked not to be mean, but just wanting to know why.

One orange-speckled hand reached up to stroke her cheek. The touch was soft, like a feather, and as those fingers gently stroked her cheek, she leaned into his touch and could see his face soften in the afternoon light.

"Because you are kind, you treat those around you with kindness and you have a beautiful laugh, and you are the loveliest creature I have ever met. In short, you are a marvelous girl." Hatter said. Aimee blushed and smiled shyly up at him.

"You know what Tarrant, I love you too." She said.

"Why?"He repeated Aimee's earlier question.

"Because you are funny, a great dancer, and you are so creative. Plus you have the most amazing eyes I've ever seen and when I look into them I feel loved. That's why." Aimee said as she smiled and wrapped her arms around his neck, bringing him into another amazing kiss. They then stretched out a laid in each other's arms and watched the clouds go by. It was quite a while later when they decided it was time to return to the camp.

"Come on, I've got to get back to camp and practice some more. Zora is teaching me how to combine my elements and form them into an attack." Aimee said excitedly.

"Ok, I'll race you there." Hatter took off without waiting for an answer.

"No fair." Aimee yelled and jumped into the trees. She jumped from branch to branch and soon over took Hatter. She passed him without him noticing and landed in the camp. She sat down cross legged just as Hatter entered the clearing. He took one look at her looked back over his shoulder then back to her with a look of shock and surprise.

"But how… you were… did you…" he stuttered then gave up and sat down next to her as she grinned like an idiot at him.

"You cheated." He said, fake pouting childishly.

"I'm sorry. If it makes you feel better second place gets a kiss." Aimee said as she leaned over and lightly kissed him. "Better?"

"A little." He said and then continued to kiss her until Zora cleared her throat.

"_It's time for your lesson." _Zora said making Aimee and Hatter reluctantly separated.

"_Spoil sport." _Aimee said in a childish tone as she followed Zora who rolled her eyes at her.


	24. Hunting

Priscilla stretched as she woke up. She looked around searching for Jareth and caught sight of his sleeping form not even a few feet away from her. It made her think of what Jareth said last night and she caught herself blushing as she turned away. I guess he's not all that bad she thought to herself, as she got up to poke at the fire

"What am I going to do about getting us some food?"She asked out loud.

"_You could go hunting?"_ Aeryck suggested

"_Good idea Aeryck."_ Priscilla thought of her bow and her quiver making them appear instantly. She approached Jareth's sleeping form and prodded him awake with the tip of her bow. He let out a groan and he muttered something she barely made out.

"Go away it's too early Tabukan" she prodded him again, but he just kept muttering. She was getting impatient so she ripped the blanket off of his sleeping form, crouched near his head, and let out a loud whistle near his ear. He abruptly sat up and looked around in alarm until he finally noticed her crouching next to him with a big smile plastered on her face.

"Good morning sunshine are you done sleeping yet?" she asked innocently. He just glared at her as she laughed and mischievousness made her eyes sparkle.

"What's got you in such high spirits this early in the morning?" Jareth queried groggily.

"I'm going hunting and I thought I should wake you up you know just in case" She said. She dug into her satchel and pulled out some a pair of boots and some fresh clothes then handed them to Jareth. "Here, put these on while I'm gone, you look terrible."

"You're going into the forest?" Jareth said raising his eyebrow, ignoring her last comment, while he took the clothes and boots.

'_That seems to be one of his favorite facial expressions.'_ Priscilla thought.

"Yes." she said confidently. He snorted and let out a sarcastic laugh.

"Do you know the dangers that haunt this forest especially now that the forest is no longer under my control? Even grown fey would cower in fear much less a mortal." He said.

"But I am no mere mortal" she said and smirked devilishly. Priscilla called out Aeryck's name and he appeared majestically fluttering out of thin air, his silver and gold feathers glinting in the sun. Priscilla reached out an arm and he perched on it. As Aeryck stretched his wings his scales could be heard clinking together in an almost musical way.

"Aeryck scout ahead of me see if you can spot any prey or potential threats."She said. Aeryck took flight and Jareth just gapped after him.

"That's my familiar Aeryck; beautiful isn't he. He will protect me while you stay here. You are in no condition to hunt just be on your guard for any danger and call out if any trouble comes, I'll stay close enough to the edge to hear you." Priscilla said and then took off in a swift run her flowing white tresses catching the sun as she fluidly disappeared into the trees before he could argue.

The human woman never ceased to amaze and exasperate him. Not only is she beautiful but she is brave as well and that owl was one of the most majestic creatures he had ever seen, it was her match in every way, but he was still left with a nagging feeling of worry as he continued to fruitlessly searched the trees for a sign of her, then caught himself worrying about a human.

"I'm not worrying over a mortal woman especially not that one." he said out loud to assure himself as he gathered kindle for the fire to keep himself busy and too keep his eyes from scanning the tree line she had vanished into.


	25. Nox

Nox raced through the forest, confident that no other creature would dare oppose him. He jumped from branch to branch with all the swiftness and grace of a fleeting shadow.

He finally was able to track the girl; she was running swiftly through the forest following an owl. She had her bow and arrows drawn which led Nox to believe she was hunting. This gave him the perfect opportunity to weaken her. He used his dark energy to bring forth an evil tree spirit.

'Yes, that should do the trick.' Nox thought to himself.


	26. Into the Creepy Forest

Some of Priscilla's confidence fled once she had left the little clearing that they had set camp up in. 'The forest looked like something out of a horror movie,' she thought as she skipped over tree roots and under growth. The roots of the trees glistened like tentacles; the trees themselves looked gnarled and ancient. Their canopies blocked the sun and reached into darkness so far above that they were beyond her sight. Unidentifiable creatures scuttled across the thick undergrowth and vanished into the shadows. There was a heavy oppressive atmosphere in the forest, almost silent except for the sounds of her running footsteps and what sounded like echoing screeches in the distance.

"_Aeryck?"_ Priscilla said she was more than a little creeped out.

"_Yes." _he said making her jump.

"Umm_ where are you?"_ She asked.

"_Above you I spotted some odd looking, but edible creatures up ahead. I will lead you there" _He said. Priscilla glanced up and caught sight of him. He was like a star against the dark canopy.

As she followed him she continued to leap over roots when all of a sudden, in mid leap, she was tackled from her midriff. Her breath was knocked out of her and all she heard was a terrible sound like a thousand voices screeching at once. She was slammed into something and pinned against what felt like a humongous root. Its surface was slick against her back and there was a creature sitting atop her body. She realized it was no creature. It was a withering tree root trying to get a proper hold of her. Instinct told her that if she let it get a good hold that it would mean certain death.

She struggled to get out from under the root, the roots were slimy against her skin maybe she could use that to her advantage. She called for Aeryck in a panicked mental voice

"_Aeryck!_" she screamed.

"_Priscilla don't panic! It will only make things worse!_" He sounded panicked too.

"_Too late!_" Priscilla mentally shouted back.

She tried to clear her head as she struggled with the roots. The root at her back dug deeper into her skin as the root began to get a better hold it gave her an idea

"_Aeryck! Blind the creature with your talons_!" She yelled.

She had glimpsed the trees face as she struggled to get free its face was a twisted mass with rows upon rows of razor sharp teeth as it screeched but she also saw a pair of glowing orange orbs in the middle of the mass she assumed they were its eyes and she hoped she was right or it meant her death.

The roots had finally gotten a hold of her and it lifted her up eighteen feet off of the ground. She had a good view of what was going on now, but the tree root shook her back and forth like a rag doll her arms pinned at her sides it squeezed her harder she was getting dizzy from lack of breath. She saw a flash of white go past it was Aeryck he looked like he had gotten much bigger he swooped in talons poised to strike and his wings reared an angry glint flashed in his magnificent ruby colored eyes he looked like he was in battle mode. The sight of him in battle would have taken her breath away if she had any left.

Aeryck swooped left and right as he avoided the flailing tree roots trying to catch him then he struck and violently tore at the orange orbs in the mass and the creature let out such a loud screech that she was afraid he eardrums would burst. Green liquid poured from the now ruined eyes and the tree roots loosened their hold and she slipped from its slimy grasp as she plummeted to the ground she closed her eyes.

"_Wings_!" Aeryck mentally shouted.

She imagined wings on her back she willed them into being and she suddenly stopped in mid air. The air around her seemed like it was being buffeted by something large had Aeryck caught her? Her eyes popped open and to her amazement she had sprouted incredible snowy white wings on her back they were tipped brilliant metallic silver at the ends. She was flying!

Aeryck was just distracted for a second when he called out wings in desperate hope that she would know what it meant then Priscilla's wings burst forth from her back in a silver and gold mist. She was flying she had done it! She gained complete control of her powers he hadn't mentioned the wings again, because he didn't think she was ready yet he figured it would take longer, years before she was able to reach that level

'_She is an incredible human._' He was thinking when a root came out of nowhere and took a hold of his talons he was being pulled towards the tree spirits razor sharp mouth he flapped desperately trying to get away but to no avail he was caught.

Then Aeryck heard a whizzing sound and then four loud thunks and the creature screeched and its slimy grip loosened a bit. He shifted to see what had happened. Priscilla was forming ice spears out of thin air, they floated above her head and they flung themselves at the creature making two more thunks sound followed by more shrieking

"Let go of him!" she called to the tree spirit "I don't want to hurt you anymore than this!"

The creature tightened its loosened hold on him and he shrieked in pain and flapped harder then it started to drag him in faster and that's when the air around Aeryck got ice cold. Priscilla's cold glare sent shivers down his back as she reached into nothingness and drew a gold tipped double bladed ice sword with a white handle that had gold designs and rubies encrusted on the handle.

She dogged the trees roots as they came at her in all directions. With blinding speed she flew at the tree root that had Aeryck caught, and sliced the tree root as thick as the ancient tree creature its self in half.

The root slid off of his talons and fell with such resounding thud. It shook all the other ancient trees in the surrounding area. She spun in the trees direction sword in hand posed to strike again and pierced the tree with her glare. A sudden whirl of wind whipped her white hair and cape around her. What looked like a tornado started to encompass her flapping figure. The tips of her wings began to glow white hot silver you could feel the electricity of her anger in the air.

" Will you stop now?" she spoke in an icy calm voice it was as if the tree creature understood it stopped flailing and screeching and all went quiet save for the flapping of his and Priscilla's wings.

The wind and tornado disappeared as quickly as they had appeared she flew forward and approached the tree creature its monstrous body shivered in fear it was covered in green liquid it could not see her but it could feel her.

"Aeryck can this creature be healed?"She said aloud looking down at the tree

"_Yes."_ he said

"By me?" she said

"Maybe to a certain extent._" _said Aeryck

"Ok." said Priscilla.

She turned toward the tree spirit and spoke.

"Creature I will heal you on these conditions you will never try to harm a human or fey ever again and you will never try to eat more than you need for nourishment." the giant tree creature shook its leaves in what Aeryck took to be consent.

She flew to the trees face dangerously close to the creature's mouth

"_Priscilla not to close." _Aeryck warned.

"_It's okay Aeryck the tree spirit will keep its word."_ she said confidently

"_How do you know? _Said Aeryck worriedly

"_I just know." _said Priscilla.

She put her hands on one of its eyes and her hands started to glow a deep red color almost black she moved her hand away and their on the green stained face of the tree there was a brand new eye. She did the same to the other then with a wave of a hand she melted the ice spears and healed all the puncture wounds and then she flew to the sliced limb

"This I cannot regenerate it is too large I can close the wound at the most but let this missing limb always be a reminder of your promise" she said to the tree and the tree shook its canopy once again. She turned to Aeryck.

"It's time to go we still must hunt for food now that I can fly it will be faster" she tiredly smirked and did not look back as they disappeared into the darkness the forest.

The forest was completely silent they must have made quite a racquet for the forest to be this quiet Aeryck thought it will be hard to find food now. Priscilla gracefully landed her silver tipped wings glistened in the dim lighting she took to flying quite naturally she looked around and heard the snap of a twig and then a strange creature came flying at her from the shadows it growled and she immediately took flight and pierced it through the heart with an arrow from above. It was an odd animal it was half rabbit and half armadillo its body was rabbit shaped but it had spiked armadillo armor on its back it also had fangs and a long armadillo tail and sharp claws she looked at Aeryck and said

"What do you think, edible?"Priscilla asked.

"_Looks like it might be._" he said. She flew to pick it up and heard another growl this one flew right at her face its fangs bared she whipped out her dagger and flung it straight at the animal and pinned it to a tree it looked similar to the first one.

"I guess we got our food" she said Priscilla picked up the animals and handed them to Aeryck

"Fly ahead of me and get these to Jareth I will follow my pace might get a little slower. I'm tired" She said.

Jareth finally saw a white owl enter the clearing carrying something in its talons finally he thought.

"I'm hungry and you and your mistress have kept me waiting!" he said out loud as the owl dumped the catch at his feet. He glared at her owl as it ruffled its feathers and screeched angrily at his remark then settled on a nearby stone.

"Like mistress like owl." he muttered under his breath but at the back of his mind he was worried she had taken till mid day to catch their breakfast. He had begun to think something had happened to her and he was wondering why she sent her owl ahead of her. That's when a creature with a giant wing span cleared the forests tree line.

Something metallic glinted on its wings he tensed, and drew out his crystals to ready himself for attack. As it got closer he realized it was Priscilla. She gracefully landed a few feet from him and walked towards him and as she walked her white feathers shed from her wings and they dissolved into nothing. She was a mess, there were green stains all over her hands and her usual flowing white hair was a tangled mess.

'How in the world did she grow wings,' he thought. She finally stood in front of him and said.

"I hope you like your breakfast." Then she promptly proceeded to faint into his arms.


	27. Watching

Nox had watched as Priscilla defeated the tree monster and followed her back to her camp site. It would have been easy to steal her away, but even after fighting the tree monster she was still too strong, also the fact that Jareth didn't stray from her side and when he did, he never took his eyes off her for more than a moment didn't help. Even in his weakened form Nox knew he was no match for Jareth. No, he would wait until they were both asleep then steal the girl. With that in mind he slithered deeper into the shadows of the trees and bided his time.


	28. Revalations and an Attack

Priscilla woke up, her vision was cloudy and her throat was parched. She groaned. She felt so weak and she had a headache, all she could remember was the creature, Jareth's look of disbelief, and the relived feeling she felt when she saw his face. Then everything went black.

The smell of food assailed her nose as she sat up and then immediately regretted it. She felt dizzy, so she lay back down and closed her eyes. She heard footsteps approaching and opened her eyes again.

It was Jareth he had cleaned himself up. His clothes were clean and his hair was neat as Jareth's wild hair could be. He had his hand on his hip he looked down at her.

"Your finally awake you stupid girl." he said.

"Why are you calling me stupid you jerk?" She snapped back. He crouched down and gently pushed her back down when she tried to get up. He put his hand on her forehead.

"You are running a light fever" Jareth said as his brow creased in concern, as he checked her temperature she noticed he had slim elegant fingers like those of a pianist. His actions sort of surprised her. So even the Goblin King had a soft side.

"What happened to me?" said Priscilla.

"You fainted. You're idiotic albeit brave actions caused this!" he took out a crystal and showed it to her. It glowed briefly then she could see the outline of moving figures and an image of her fighting the tree creature became sharper she gasped.

Was that really her? She looked so dangerous. Jareth took the crystal out of her view and threw it up in the air making the crystal vanished.

"I can see events of a person's past if I know the person" he explained.

"I don't like being spied on and I hope you didn't snoop further than that!" she said angrily as she turned away from the dark scowl he gave her.

"It was necessary! You fainted in my arms and I didn't know what had happened to you" she looked at him again. She could tell he had to restrain himself from snapping at her.

"Are you an idiot?" Jareth said Priscilla's eyes widened in indignation.

"You-!" Priscilla said incredulously before Jareth interrupted her.

"You fought a fully grown tree demon all by yourself. Even I would have trouble with that! What did you expect? You have to get used to your powers before you use them to that extent."Jareth looked positively livid by now.

"What could I have done? I was attacked!" Priscilla had raised her voice to match his.

"Well, you didn't have to heal it either. That is probably what drained most of your energy and it will attack again. What would you have done if I hadn't been here?" Ahh that was the crux of the matter that was why he was so angry, he was concerned about her.

"No, it wouldn't. It gave me its word and I know it will keep it" Priscilla had calmed down a bit now that she new why he was so mad Jareth was breathing raggedly.

"Sit down before you agitate a sick person and yourself any further, tell me why you are really angry?" Priscilla slowly pulled herself up she was still sort of dizzy but she sat up properly she gestured for Jareth to sit next to her on the ground; he had stood up when they started to argue.

He looked at her for a fraction of a second, she guessed he saw something in her face, and that made him lower himself to the ground and sit Indian style .Priscilla had to admit he looked out of place sitting like that. It was kind of funny and she had to hold back a smile.

"So?" she said. "Why are you angry?" he was silent for a bit then he answered.

"Because you are so stubborn and I feel responsible for your injuries. If I wasn't weak this wouldn't have happened" he said as he glared into the fire.

"What injuries?" he pointed at her legs they were underneath her blanket she lifted it and glanced at them and realized they were clumsily bandaged. She hadn't noticed the injuries when she was hunting.

'I must have been really shell shocked.' she thought. 'I probably have a huge bruise on my back too.'

"Nothing I can't heal tomorrow and you shouldn't feel guilty for the decisions I made we are equal, you and I. I am solely responsible for my actions and it's not like you can help being injured" she said to the side of his face.

He turned to her and she tilted her head and looked him in the eyes he stayed silent and then said

"You equal to a king?"He said.

She smiled her gamine like smile and he nodded but she could tell he still disagreed about him not being responsible, but he didn't want to argue again. Jareth was madder at himself than anything and she couldn't fix that she thought. It was something he had to do himself. In losing his kingdom it had injured his pride. It made him feel frustrated and weak. The only way to put it right would be to win back his kingdom. Jareth got up from his sitting position next to her and brought her two bowls from the fire.

"I made do with what I had." he handed her the bowls one had broth and the other was empty.

"What's the empty one for?" he grabbed a pail from one of the many near the fire.

"For cleaning up. I sent your owl for water before he disappeared. I didn't want to leave you alone and I got the utensils and such from your satchel." He poured water into the bowl.

"Wash your hands first then eat" he said. She saw for the first time that she had dried green substance on her hands. It was the creature's blood. She shivered involuntarily and Jareth noticed

"It was a noble thing you did to spare that creatures life. Why did you do it?" he said as Priscilla winced as she removed her gloves and washed her hands in the bowl. There were dark bruises on her arms. Humans are so delicate he thought.

"I noticed that there were barely any animal noises when I entered the forest, food must have been sparse in the area where the creature was rooted. Small animals weren't enough to fill its belly. It was hungry and I think that's why the tree was so desperate to eat us." Jareth's heart skipped a beat as he saw a look of sadness cross her face. Shaking his head, he ignored it. She hadn't liked hurting that creature. She had a tough demeanor but a soft heart.

"The labyrinth has become a dark place since Fanyr took control. Before it was rare for tree spirits to do that, even the animals sense that there is something wrong and have fled." he handed her a towel to dry her hands and got a soft bristled brush out of her satchel.

"Your hair is a mess too." He said.

"I don't think I can lift my hands that high. My arms are sore from where the tree grabbed me. It left bruises on my arms as you can tell. I won't be able to heal them till later. I'm too weak at the moment" she said

"Then I will brush it as you eat" said Jareth.

"W-what?" she stuttered.

"Oh! Be quiet woman." he stepped behind her and kneeled he started to pull leaves out of the loosely tangled white mass. The moment he touched her head she tensed.

"Well are you going to eat or did I skin those animals for naught." Jareth snapped.

"You skinned the animals." she laughed as if she couldn't picture it her laugh was a sweet sound.

"Yes, were you going to do it?" he expected her to say no but she never did as he expected.

"Yeah, I was." she said matter of factly he raised an eyebrow.

"Now tell me how a woman such as yourself knows how to skin an animal?" he asked as he finished picking out the leaves and gently started to brush the wavy tendrils her hair.

'_It is so soft.'_ he thought.

"My dad, four brothers, and my grandpa. I don't have any sisters so I grew up hunting, fishing, and rough housing with my brothers when we we're not running our theatre, The Golden Palace." Her tense shoulders relaxed once she started to talk about her family and when she stopped she tensed up again.

"Tell me more." he insisted.

'_So that's why she was so stubborn and brave.'_ he thought, but what she said genuinely interested him because he only had one other sibling and they didn't have the typical sibling relationship.

He found himself laughing with her as she told of her and her brother's childhood antics. She also told him about some of the operas, plays, ballets, and concerts they put on at their theatre.

"How about you?" she asked "what is your family like other than your brother."

He spoke lovingly of his parents and how they had made sure he never lacked for anything. He also told her of how he had heard that the goblins had helped them escape to a different kingdom and how he was glad they were okay. By that time Jareth was sitting next to her and he saw her eyes were starting to droop.

"I think it's time to go to bed." he said and he tenderly felt her forehead again. Her fever was almost gone. The food and rest had helped. She saw his bandage peeking out from under his sleeve as his it slid back on his wrist, when he reached up and she asked him about his wounds.

"They are mostly healed already." He said.

"Already!"She said her eyes widening.

"You have to remember, I am fey. We heal faster than you mortals." He said. "Immortality does have its advantages."

"Immortality." she repeated "Jareth how old are you?"

"About one hundred and twenty three years old. You see for every ten years of your life I age one." she looked flabbergasted.

"Fey are immortal and live long lives. That's why it's so hard for fey to have children since it takes so long for them to grow up. I should be about your age maybe a little older." Jareth explained.

"Wow! Huge age gap" said Priscilla and she looked at her hands on her lap. Jareth tried to discern her expression; he reached to hold her hand but hesitated.

"I think I should go to bed now." she said avoiding his eyes as she looked up from her lap. For some reason when she didn't directly meet his eyes it nagged at him. She laid down with her back towards him.

"Thanks for dinner and your kindness." she said, the warmth in her tone was gone.

"Good night…Priscilla" he whispered. He sat staring at her back for a moment, he was at a loss about her sudden change in attitude, and then he got up and walked over to his blanket to settle down for the night.

Priscilla listened to Jareth as he lay down to go to sleep. After he finished getting comfortable all that could be heard was the rustling of the wind. Priscilla lay there listening to the breeze gliding through the trees when an odd noise caught her attention. It was like the sound of fabric and muffled footsteps.

She sat up suddenly when the rustling got closer, but before she could investigate something grabbed her from behind, covered her mouth, and roughly pulled her up. She struggled with all her might, but it was not enough. The being pressed a knife against her throat making Priscilla go still.

"One wrong move and I'll slit your throat." The being hissed.

"What do you want?" Priscilla spat.

"It's not what I want, but what my master Fanyr wants and that's you." He said making Priscilla feel fear and shivers ran down her back.

"Cold?" he laughed. She gagged as he rubbed his face against hers. He smelled of rotten flesh.

"So smooth."He said, dragging his cheek down her neck. It was cold and had a viscous texture to it. She was gonna be sick, she just knew it.

'I need to get help somehow.' she thought. She urged her powers forth and she felt a brief surge a gust of strong cold wind came forth, but it wasn't strong enough. All it did was put the fire out.

"Hahaha." he laughed blowing his foul breath all over her "Not strong enough yet I see, too bad I would have loved to have a go at you." he sneered.

He was the kind of person that liked to torture his victims. He liked the smell of fear and blood. She was so warm against him, his hand twitched and a scarlet line of blood blossomed on her throat. He so wanted to slit her pretty little neck, but master said he wanted the wench alive and unharmed.

She struggled against him and he had the urge to cut her then and there but he would be punished if he did, and he didn't like being punished by master. He remembered the last time.

"Let's go." he said and dragged her towards the forest tree line. She fell and he grabbed her hair and continued to drag her

"Jareth! JARETH!" she screamed.

"He can't hear you, I cast a spell of silence around him." he hissed at her. A smoke like fog started to surround them and she felt them start to lift off of the ground. She couldn't see anything and he still had her by the hair.

"I can hear you just fine actually." a disembodied voice said.

"Impossible!" the thing jerked its head around searching for were Jareth's voice had come from in the smoke then all the sudden he flew back, something had punched it in the face cracking his skull mask. Creature crumpled to the floor, its shattered mask revealed a grotesque face. It was twisted and pale where the eyes should have been there were only holes as black as night.

Jareth stepped forth and picked Priscilla up in a princess cradle. He transported them back to the camp and lit the fire with a wave of his hand, so he could see. He set her down and he lightly touched her face.

He said nothing as she just looked into his eyes. Then his eyes fell upon her neck and he saw the line of blood there. His face turned dark and a look of pure rage came into his eyes it scared her so much she flinched even though she knew it wasn't directed at her.

"Stay here." he commanded and disappeared from her sight. Jareth transported back to the spot where the night shade had crumpled.

Blood was pounding in his veins. Never before had he felt such a deep rage before Jareth could have sworn his heart stopped beating when he heard her scream fear and dread had coursed through him and while he frantically searched for her that slime had cut her neck. It had hurt her! His eyesight turned red with rage. He saw the broken mask on the floor, but the night shade couldn't be seen

"Nightshade show yourself you coward!" Jareth growled. A voice in the forest shadows let out a laugh like dried crackling leaves.

"Why should I? You no longer have control of the labyrinth or its inhabitants." The voice taunted.

"What do you want with the girl?" Questioned Jareth.

"My master wants the wench." He said in a sing song voice, infuriating Jareth even more.

"Tell your master he can't have her." Jareth yelled.

"My master won't be pleased with that." All of the sudden a shadow streaked towards Jareth from behind, but before he could get to him Jareth spun around and grabbed Nox by the throat. The night shade struggled against Jareth iron vice like grip in vain.

"Never again will you touch her." Jareth said in a deadly voice. In a last effort to free himself, the night shade took a dagger from his robes and buried it in Jareth's arm. Jareth did not even flinch when the blade was embedded into his arm. He calmly looked from the night shade to the dagger and reaching across with his free hand pulled out the dagger and plunged it into the night shades chest. Nox let out a strangled half scream and jerked from Jareth's grip. He gave one last look of pure hatred and disappeared in a cloud of smoke with the dagger still protruding out of his chest.


	29. I can't Love You

Jareth appeared out of the darkness on the fringes of the camps fire light. He was holding his arm tightly and blood was seeping through his fingers in great drops. Priscilla stood up hastily and ran to him. Her hands in fluttered over his wound in panic as Jareth stared at her. Tears started to form in her eyes as she stood there.

"This is all my fault."Priscilla said brokenly.

Jareth said nothing, but pulled her by the waist until he had her wrapped in his arms, he buried his face into hair. She so desperately wanted to hug him back but his injury needed tending.

"Jareth your wound." She said.

"It will keep I'm just so glad you're safe" he said and with those words the tears she had been holding back broke from the dam and she started to cry into his broad chest.

He started to mutter comforting words to her and somewhere in between her crying and his sweet words their lips found each other. They kissed with passionate abandon. She felt as if his lips were trying to claim her soul they were so fiercely possessive his hands caressed her face, her hair, her shoulders and then they wandered to the small of her back as he pulled her closer. That's when alarms started to go off at the back of her head.

'What am I doing?' she asked herself. 'We can never be together. I'm human and he is a fey, a king fey to make matters worse. I can't love him. It would hurt too much to leave him or for him to leave me.'

With that in mind she started to pull away, but Jareth held fast and she couldn't stop kissing him either. Then, finally, he pulled away and they raggedly gasped for air. He started in again, but she turned her cheek to him.

"Jareth your wound, it can't keep forever." she pulled away from his grasp and turned to get the satchel. She got out the medical kit and started to bandage his wound as she gathered the supplies he continued to stare at her. The tense silence roared in her ears while she tried not to meet his gaze.

"Why?" he said suddenly.

"Why what?" she said.

"Why do you do that?" he said accusingly.

"What do you mean?" she asked exasperatedly.

"You pull away from me." he said.

"I'm not pulling away, I'm right here." She answered.

"Don't be smart." he said "You know what I mean."

"Jareth it was just a kiss. We do it all the time where I'm from and we were just really emotional." She snapped. Priscilla knew she was being a jerk, but how could she tell him that she was falling in love with him. He reached over gripped her chin gently, but firmly and tilted it up so that she would meet his gaze.

"Look me in the eyes and tell me that again." She pulled roughly away from his grip and looked away.

"I can't." she said as she finished with his bandage and walked away from him.

"Why can't you look me in the eyes and tell me that the kiss didn't mean anything. I don't appreciate my feelings being played with Priscilla!" he said following her.

"I can't! Don't you understand I don't want you!" she turned and shouted at him her face went white as a shroud the moment those unintentional words escaped from her lips. He drew back with a hurt look in his eyes, which he covered up immediately with a mask as cold as ice.

"I-I didn't mean that." she said stepping towards him.

"Didn't you?" he said with a cold look in his eyes as he stepped away from her and vanished into the night as tears poured from her eyes and a single thought repeated itself throughout her mind, _I can't love you_.


	30. A new Approach

Nox struggled up the steps of the castle and stumbled into the throne room. He bowed to Fanyr as he lounged on his throne looking less then pleased.

"Why is the girl not with you?" Questioned Fanyr in a casual, but deadly tone.

"There were complications." He explained what had happened as Fanyr listened with growing rage. "Jareth is stronger than I perceived, but I will not fail you again master. I swear." Now started to back out of the room, but when he turned around Fanyr had teleported and was now standing in front of him.

"You should not have failed me at all." Fanyr said while grabbing the hilt of the dagger that sill protruded from Nox's chest and gave it a painful twist at the same time he heated the blade until it turned red. Nox screamed and writhed in pain, but could not get away.

"Remember this and if you fail me again I will not be so lenient." Fanyr growled. He released now who crumpled to the ground.

"Now get out of my sight." Fanyr said with distaste evident in his voice. Nox crawled away as Fanyr sat back on the throne.

"Time for a new approach." He said aloud.


	31. Regrets

It was early morning and Priscilla had woken up to an empty camp. She felt terrible. She didn't blame him for the way he reacted last night. Her words echoed in her mind and she winced at the harshness.

She got up, lit the fire, and started to heat up last night's broth. She distractedly looked around her for any sign of Jareth, but with no success. She summoned Aeryck.

'She had her powers back.' she thought as he landed on her arm. She silently nuzzled him giving her comfort to have him close.

"I_ was worried._" Aeryck thought.

"I'm sorry I couldn't summon you. I didn't have the power." She said as he nuzzled her neck.

"We_ have to start your training to increase your endurance._" Aeryck said.

"I know." Priscilla sighed. It would be difficult.

"_Aeryck can you go fetch Jareth for me? I said some terrible things to him last night and I don't think I have the courage to face him yet."_ Aeryck nodded and took flight.

She watched Aeryck until his flashing wings faded into the distance. Priscilla got to work healing her wounds. Her eyes widened as she saw the red black glow of magic.

'_That will never cease to amaze me.'_ She thought.

She was still getting used to this power. It was like using muscles she never knew she had.

She summoned water, controlling it so that it would flow through her hair, and then she summoned a warm wind to dry it while she, once again, combed it. Her scalp was still sensitive from where that Idiot had dragged her through the dirt.

At the thought of dirt she looked down at her clothing surprisingly her clothes had stayed pristine. She smiled and said a silent thanks. At least she didn't have to deal with that. But that masked thing that attacked her yesterday was on her mind again.

'_What does Fanyr want with me?'_ She questioned herself.

It was more than a little disturbing that he should want anything from her. She recalled what he had asked for in the oubliette. She hadn't seen his face because it was veiled in shadow, but the thought of him still sent shivers down her back.

'_Could Aimee and I really save the labyrinth?'_ The thought echoed in her mind, but then she heard the sound of Aeryck's flapping wings, breaking her train of thought.

By that time she had already finished picking up camp. She kicked dirt over ashes of the fire and blew leaves over the camp area to hide their tracks. While she was doing this she felt some ones presence near her.

She turned around to find Jareth regarding her with a cold dead look in his eyes. She felt a little painful squeeze on her heart. She knew that it would be a while before he would forgive her, but this way it would be easier for both of them.

"You can ride Aeryck since you can't transform without the rest of your crystals. It will be much faster to get across the forest now that I can fly." Priscilla couldn't meet his gaze as she said this. He didn't say anything; he just mounted Aeryck and expectantly waited for her to call forth her wings.

She closed her eyes and imagined them on her back. She felt her shoulder blades warm up and she opened her eyes. There they were perched on her shoulder blades in all their white silver tipped glory.

She smiled but the smile died on her lips as soon as she saw Jareth's expression of icy disdain. She looked away, gave a strong leap, and took flight with Aeryck right behind her. For the rest of the day Jareth acted like she didn't exist and even though it bothered her to no end she decided to leave him be.

Priscilla relished the feel of wind whipping over body; to fly had always been her dream. She had always thought it impossible but her miracle was darkened buy the icy tension between her and Jareth. By midday they came upon two figures sitting in a clearing at the edge of the forest. Priscilla slowly started to descend; she would know that figure anywhere. It was Aimee. A smile burst forth and she landed lightly with Aeryck right behind her.


	32. Together againAimee gives a pep talk

It was about midday as Hatter and Aimee sat in the middle of their campsite. Aimee was telling Hatter the story of King Arthur while making a multi-colored daisy chain from the flowers she grew with a wave of her hand. Hatter looked quite comical with a rainbow daisy wreath around the brim of his hat.

He had his hat tipped over his eyes to shade him from the sun as his head lay in Aimee's lap. The daisy chain itself wound its way across Tarrant's chest and all around them. They were just finishing the story when a large shadow covered them followed by the sound of flapping.

"Aeryck, Priscilla." Tarrant said in surprise as he tipped his hat back. Priscilla landed in front of them. Jareth jumped down from Aeryck's back and stood a little in front of Priscilla.

"Well, if it isn't the happy couple." Aimee joked as she ran over to Priscilla. She got a little confused though when Priscilla made a slashing gesture across her throat and Jareth glared daggers at her.

'Wow. If looks could kill.' Thought Aimee. She and Priscilla hugged briefly then Priscilla hugged Hatter as well in greeting. Aimee couldn't help, but to notice the quick flash of jealousy that crossed Jareth's face.

'Weird.' She thought, shaking her head. 'Something interesting happened between these two and I'm going to find out what.'

"I guess I should introduce myself. I'm Aimee Knight." She said as she walked over to Hatter and held his hand.

"And I'm Tarrant Hightopp." Hatter said. Jareth looked them over then settled his gaze on Tarrant and crossed his arms.

"You're also known as the Mad Hatter, I believe. Marana has told me about you. The greatest hatter in all the seven kingdoms and one of her most trusted confidants. I heard you had lost your mind." Jareth said.

"Yes, it is quite lost, my mind that is. Say, do you know why a raven is like a writing desk?" Hatter asked giving him a hesitant smile. Jareth raised an eyebrow and looked at hatter as if sizing him up.

"I haven't the faintest idea." Jareth replied and smirked as Hatter broke into a wide grin.

"Neither have I." Hatter said. Priscilla and Aimee breathed a sigh of relief that they would get along.

"Well make yourself comfortable. Tarrant could you get him some food, me and Priscilla have some catching up to do." With that Aimee dragged Priscilla down the path to the clearing she and Zora practiced in.

"Ok spill. What really happened between you two? And how'd you get the wings?" Aimee asked as she sat down and motioned for Priscilla to do the same. Priscilla stared off into nothing for a moment and then finally spilled the events that led to Jareth's and her tension.

"Wow. I completely forgot about them being immortal. Oh well, I still love Tarrant and if it's meant to be it will be." Aimee said. Priscilla's mouth fell open at Aimee's lack of concern.

"What do you mean, 'Oh well'? They will never age and we will. It could never work. You have to know that." Priscilla said in frustration.

"Ah, spoken like a true cynic." Aimee said.

"I'm not a cynic. I'm a realist." Priscilla said.

"You are a realist masquerading as a cynic who is secretly an optimist." Aimee said then was silent for a moment. "The way I see it if it was meant to be then it will happen. You have to stop over thinking every little detail. Think about it, love is so rare and very few people find it and now that you have it are you so willing to let it go without a fight because I'm not." Aimee said.

Priscilla looked at Aimee for a moment then shook her head and laughed.

"You're a deep well Aimee. Come on let's get back to camp before the guys start worrying about us." Priscilla said. The girls entered the clearing and found that Hatter had set up the table, but Jareth was nowhere to be seen.

"Where's Jareth?" asked Priscilla.

"He said he needed to take a walk. He seemed quite annoyed about something." Said Hatter thoughtfully.

"Well there's no use in looking for him if he wants to be alone, let's eat." Said Aimee. Priscilla didn't make any move to sit down, but looked down the path that Hatter said Jareth had taken. "Priscilla, I'm sure he's fine. Now come and eat."

Priscilla was about to sit down when she noticed Aimee was drinking something other than Pepsi.

"Aimee, what are you drinking?" Priscilla asked with a small smile.

"Mint tea, Tarrant showed it to me. It's really good." Aimee replied. "Now sit down and eat."

"How in the world did you get her to drink something other than Pepsi?" Priscilla asked Tarrant.

"I can be quite persuasive when I want to be." Said Tarrant while giving Aimee a meaningful look that caused her face to go bright red.

Priscilla laughed while she reluctantly took her seat and began to nibble on some of the food while still looking down the path. After they had eaten Priscilla filled Aimee and Hatter in on what had happened minus the kiss and its results.

Priscilla was going to take a nap since they had decided not to continue on until morning.

"I'm going to find Jareth. Can you keep an eye on things here?" Aimee asked Tarrant. She had to try and fix things between Jareth and Priscilla.

"Of course. What should I tell Priscilla if she wakes up?" Tarrant asked.

"Tell her I went for a walk." Aimee gave Tarrant a quick kiss and went to go see what was keeping Jareth as Zora trailed behind her.

It didn't take long to find him. He was standing near a cliff and glaring out over the horizon.

"You're not contemplating suicide are you cause if you are I could always push you." Aimee said in a cheerful voice as Zora climbed a nearby tree to watch the show.

"No, you dolt, I'm not contemplating suicide." He snapped.

"Oh." Said Aimee disappointedly. "Well then what's got your knickers in a wad?"

"None of your business." He snapped acidicly.

"That's no way to treat a friend." Aimee said, purposefully ignoring his snort of indignation. "Especially one that is trying to help. Now, this little pity party, wouldn't happen to be because of my bestest bud Priscilla would it?"An icy glare was all the response she got from him.

"I'll take that as a yes." Aimee said as she put her arm around Jareth who immediately shook it off. "Now don't be a silly goose. She's just confused about whether or not it's safe to love you."

Jareth turned and began to walk away. Aimee reached out and grabbed his arm.

"Wait. You need to hear this." Aimee said seriously putting all joking aside for the sake of her friend's heart.

"No I don't." Jareth replied. Aimee tightened her grip on his arm and forced him to turn back around.

"Yes you do. Don't you understand? She's afraid you'll break her heart." Aimee said in frustration. "The way she sees it is that she will one day grow old and you being immortal will stay young. She's afraid you'll leave her and she can't stand that. That's why she's trying to deny her feelings for you. You just need to take it slow with her. Make her see you're worth the risk and then show her that you will never hurt her."

Jareth stared at Aimee for a moment then ripped his arm from Aimee's grasp and vanished in a cloud of mist.

"I saw that going differently in my mind." Said Aimee aloud.


	33. Aimee plays Cupid

Aimee walked back to camp and was relieved to find that Priscilla was still asleep.

'_At least I don't have to explain were I've been. Priscilla would kill me if she knew I was meddling.'_ Aimee thought.

Hatter, who was sitting against a tree, patted the spot next him. Aimee slumped down and leaned her head against his shoulder as Hatter put his arm around her.

"How'd it go?" Hatter asked.

"I don't know. He didn't want to listen to me at first, but I was able to say what I wanted before he disappeared again." Aimee's eyes landed on her friend and her face grew even grimmer.

"They need each other more than they realize." Tarrant said solemnly as Aimee nodded in agreement.

The poor things didn't even know that there was something wrong in their lives. Tarrant and Aimee saw it, and though they didn't know what do about it they knew they had to do something.

"What are we going to do?" Asked Aimee voicing both of their concerns.

"I don't know about Jareth, but Priscilla needs you. All you can do is be there for her. Everything will work out, don't worry my bonnie lass." Hatter said as he hugged Aimee close.

"Thanks Tarrant." She said as she kissed him on the cheek and went to wake Priscilla up. As she looked down at Priscilla she frowned once more.

'_Even in her sleep she looked stressed and upset.' _Aimee thought.

"Priscilla, you need to wake up if you're going to sleep tonight." Priscilla mumbled incoherently for a moment then finally opened her eyes.

"What time is it?" Priscilla asked while she sat up and stretched.

"I don't know Six-ish maybe." Aimee replied.

"Six-ish?" Priscilla said sarcastically.

"I don't have a watch ok." Aimee said as Priscilla laughed then all of the sudden she stopped. Her stare went past Aimee and settled on something else over her shoulder. Aimee turned around to see Jareth entering the clearing. His and Priscilla's eyes met for a lingering moment before she looked away and he walked over to talk with Hatter.

"Oh come on." Aimee said with a roll of her eyes. "I'm dealing with three year olds."

"Shush Aimee." Priscilla said pleadingly "I know you're trying to help but maybe we need more time after what I said." Priscilla whispered as eyes were drawn back towards Jareth. His head was cocked to the side as if he was straining to hear what they were saying.

"What will we be doing once we get out of the forest? Will we regroup with the goblins?" Priscilla said getting up from her blanket. Aimee just shrugged as she too stood up from her crouching position.

"I don't know why don't you go consult the _goblin_ on that matter." Aimee put emphasis on the word goblin as she jerked her head in Jareth's direction and smiled tauntingly at him. She had noticed him listening in on their conversation and had decided she was going to give him something to listen to.

"I don't think he takes to being called a goblin very well." Priscilla whispered conspiratorially. Her lip trembled as she tried to hide a smile.

'_This would make for a good venting.'_ Aimee thought. Priscilla's attempt to hide a smile had egged Aimee on.

'_This is going to be fun.'_ Thought Aimee with a mischievous grin.

"What about fiend or knave there's also ogre, scoundrel, rouge, scamp, hellion, beast…." With every name Aimee called him, Jareth's back got stiffer and stiffer until he snapped at being called a beast and jerked his head around.

He glared at Aimee who grinned back and Priscilla burst into laughter, unable to hold it in any longer. This had Jareth infuriated even more; he snapped his fingers and disappeared then reappeared where they were standing.

"You little-" he said to Aimee but before he could get any insult out or try to make a grab for her she flipped to the side and then back flipped behind Priscilla, expertly avoiding every grab he made for her. Then she pushed Priscilla forward, who careened as she tried to keep her balance, but fell anyway causing her to land in Jareth's arms. He was so surprised he almost fell himself. Priscilla blushed as memories of their kiss came flooding back.

'_Aimee, you Imp. This was your plan all along wasn't it?'_ Priscilla thought.

'_Well duh.' _Aimee answered with a mental roll of her eyes.

Jareth was holding her in his arms once again. They looked searchingly into each other's eyes and Priscilla could see the ice in Jareth's eyes melt a little bit. Her lips curved into a soft hesitant smile as she stepped out of his arms.

"Sorry Jareth." she said looking him in the eyes. Jareth knew she was apologizing for more than falling.

"I know." he said as he turned away. He gave a cursory glare at Aimee who was perched on a tree branch a few feet away, and grinning like the Cheshire cat.

"Brat!"He said tersely to Aimee who grinned even wider.

"Why thank you very much." she said as she stood in the tree with perfect balance, doffed her hat and gave a flourishing bow. Jareth had a feeling that Aimee would be the bane of his existence.

Aimee hopped down from the tree when she was sure it was safe and sat next to Tarrant who had just stopped laughing.

"You are quite the trickster my dear bonnie lass." Hatter said as he leaned over and kissed her.

Priscilla soon walked over and joined them and half-heartedly flicked Aimee on the head.

'_Thanks Aimee.'_ Priscilla said.

'_No problem.' _Replied Aimee.


	34. The Bog of Eternal Stench

"We need to decide what do next." Said Priscilla early in the morning the next day. They had just finished breakfast and were discussing their options for the journey ahead.

"We need to go the bog of eternal stench." Said Jareth with distaste evident in his voice.

"Not to ask the obvious question, but why would we want to do that?" Asked Aimee. "You must know a way around it."

"Because that were the last crystal hidden in the labyrinth is." Said Priscilla.

"How did you know that?" Asked Jareth although he already knew the answer.

"I just know." Priscilla said as Jareth gave her a thoughtful look then turned away.

"You get used to that. She's lead us through most of the labyrinth on that feeling and she was right every time." Aimee said.

"Then I guess we are off to the bog." Said Tarrant.

"Great. I'm already feeling sick." Aimee said. "Isn't there any way to avoid having to smell it?" Aimee complained. All of the sudden Jareth's eyes lit up.

"You can grow plants." Jareth said pointedly.

"I have a name goblin boy and yes I can grow plants." Aimee said as she childishly stuck out her tongue and Jareth rolled his eyes in response.

"There is a plant called Cecropia that can block out the smell of the bog. All you have to do is grow it." Jareth stated.

"Problem, I have to know what the plant looks like in order to grow it." Aimee said. Jareth took out his crystal and held it out to her. In it was the image of a bush. Its palmate leaves were purple with red veins and it had blue stems.

Aimee nodded and walked a little ways away from the group and kneeled down. She put her hands flat on the ground then lifted them upward slowly. Following her hands, the bush grew until it was waist high. Aimee stood up and dusted off her hands.

"Now what?" she asked. Jareth walked over and picked a few leaves. Then he reached into the air and a kerchief appeared in his hand. He took the leaves and folded them into the kerchief and tied it around his head. He looked like a bandit.

"Now if we could only find a way to cover the rest of your face it would be perfect." Aimee said with a grin.

"I'm assuming you're joking, I'm ignoring you for time reasons." Jareth replied to her remark as Aimee once again stuck out her tongue. "It will keep the smell somewhat at bay." Jareth said.

Priscilla fetched her satchel and fished out two kerchiefs one for Aimee and herself. She didn't have to get one for hatter he just smiled and pulled out his own multicolored one.

"Gentlemen always carry their own." he winked playfully at Aimee who in turn lovingly kissed him on the cheek. Priscilla raised an eyebrow and smiled.

"So simple." she remarked and they both looked at each other and shrugged.

After they each packed their own kerchiefs Priscilla and Aimee summoned their familiars in order to make better time to the bog. Jareth was riding on Aeryck as Priscilla flew beside them and on the ground Hatter and Aimee rode Zora.

They managed to reach the bog by mid-day. They had already tied on their kerchiefs containing the Cecropia leaves and were ready to go in. The group dismounted from and started down the cliff on foot. They were taking a narrow path and had to line up single file. Jareth went first, and then Priscilla, then Hatter, and bringing the rear was a rather bored Aimee.

Then, all of the sudden, Aimee was struck by an awesome idea. With a wave of her hand an oak tree they were passing became laden with acorns. She gathered a few them into her pockets and caught up with the rest of the group who hadn't notice her brief absence.

As Jareth made his way down he felt something hit the back of his head. He jerked his head around, but could not tell where it came from. It happened a few more times and it was driving him crazy.

"What's wrong?" Asked Priscilla.

"It's nothing." Jareth said frustration and then continued on.

This continued for quite some time and every time Jareth tried to find the source he was unsuccessful. They finally reached the bottom of the cliff and were now making their way beside the disgusting river.

"What's wrong Aimee?" Priscilla asked. Aimee had a rather downcast look on her face and her hands were buried deep into her pockets.

"I ran out of acorns." Aimee said. Priscilla gave her a confused look. Then all of the sudden Aimee's face brightened and she pulled from her pocket one last acorn.

"Sweet." Aimee said as she pulled her arm back and through it. Unfortunately Jareth had chosen that exact moment to turn around. The acorn hit him right between the eyes.

"Why you…" He growled as he took a couple of menacing steps towards Aimee.

"Oh bugger." Aimee mumbled before she ran behind Tarrant.

"Come here." Jareth growled.

"No." Aimee said from behind Tarrant. Priscilla was trying to calm Jareth down, but to no avail.

"Come here now." He said as he lunged for her.

"Never." Aimee yelled and then began to laugh manically and unfortunately was caught by Jareth when she had stumbled on some loose dirt. Jareth was in the middle of shaking Aimee by the lapels of her jacket as Tarrant and Priscilla tried to separate them when a voice made them freeze.

"What do we have here?" Said a melodic voice.


	35. Mermaids

Sitting on a rock in the middle of the bog was a mermaid. She had pale green white scales that covered her from her head to her fish tail, she had dark green spots dusting her shoulders, dark red long wavy hair, her hands were webbed and had long nails, and she had black eyes. Her torso was covered with bog moss that formed a tube top. Her hair also had traces of bog plant life in it.

"Hello, soul for a song?"Said the mermaid with tinkling voice it sounded melodic to the men, but the girls it sounded like nails on a chalk board causing the girls to wince. It had the exact opposite effect on the men. They seemed entranced, almost as if they were under a spell.

"Soul for a song?" she repeated as she tilted her head.

"No thanks, we're good, bye-bye." Aimee said with a fake smile as she tugged worriedly at Hatters arm, but he acted as if he didn't even know she was there. Priscilla went to stand beside Jareth who was closer to the water's edge than he needed to be.

"Jareth?" Priscilla said as she waved her hand in front of his face. The mermaid slid off the rock when she heard Priscilla say Jareth's name.

"Jareth?" The mermaid said. "That wouldn't be the goblin king Jareth would it?"

"Yes." Said Jareth in a dreamy tone.

The mermaid smiled and swam to the edge of the pool she smiled and began to sing. The screeching in Priscilla's and Aimee's ears began to get louder as she reached towards Jareth and gestured for him come closer. He slowly reached for her hand then Priscilla stepped in front of him.

"Back off! Fish girl." Priscilla's sudden interruption startled the mermaid and its face changed as it shrieked at her. Its face became fierce, fangs sprang out of its mouth, and its eyes became sharp.

The water around her started to bubble and churn then all of the sudden four other viscous looking mermaids burst out of the bog. They began to swim towards the shore and to the surprise of the girls they walked out of the water on scaly legs covered with pale green ripped and torn cloths that served as skirts. They started to screech loudly at the girls although to the men it must have been a sweet sound because they started to walk towards them in a trance. In an act of desperation Aimee dropped to the ground and kicked hatter's legs out from under him.

"Stay." Aimee said to Hatter who was now laying in a daze on the ground.

'_Zora, watch him.' _Zora nodded as she changed to her feral form.

Aimee touched the earth and a full grown cotton plant sprang forth. She plucked the cotton, briefly cleaned it, and stuffed it in his and her own ears. It did not completely block out the noise, but it did muffle it.

"Priscilla, here, catch!" She tossed four in the air; they were lifted on a gust of wind that carried them straight to Priscilla who caught them in her hand. She cleaned them stuffed into her ears. Then turned and stuffed the other two in Jareth's.

'_Aeryck I need you to take Jareth._' Jareth was trying to shove his way around her. He still had a glassy look in his eyes.

In her frustration Priscilla smacked him across the face. He snapped out of it and looked so surprised. Aeryck swooped out of nowhere and took Jareth onto his back. He landed gracefully next to Zora and Hatter.

"Aimee I need you!" Priscilla yelled as she called forth her sword. Its hilt had an owl head engraved at the base of the blade and at the end of the hilt was an owl's claw holding a burgundy crystal. The blade itself was engraved with a feather.

"Right here!" Aimee said as she did a spiral flip and landed next to Priscilla. "What say you to a little fish fry?" Priscilla smirked in reply and brandished her weapon.

The mermaids circled them and the first mermaid they had seen sauntered out of the water and walked over to them.

"You've only delayed us. They will be ours." Said the mermaid leader. Unfortunately the mermaid's voice could still penetrate enough for them to understand. Fortunately they had lost their painful pitch.

"Over our dead bodies." Yelled Aimee as she drew her swords and slammed the hilts together forming her double bladed staff sword then set the blades on fire. She took a few spinning swipes at the creatures, but they were too fast.

They laughed and drew their own weapons. They were medium sized double bladed tridents and each mermaid had two. They whirled them around with expert speed and grace.

"_You were saying?"_ Said Priscilla sarcastically. They had communicated through their telepathic link because they couldn't hear each other through the cotton in their ears. Then something tied to the waste of the leader caught Aimee's eye.

"_Priscilla look, it's the last crystal that's hidden in the labyrinth. It's tied to her waist. She's using it to give her a magical boost." _Aimee said.

"_So that's why they're so fast. We have to get it." _Priscilla said and Aimee nodded in agreement.

Aimee charged the leader mermaid and one of her subordinates while Priscilla took on the other two. A deadly dance was started. Blows were blocked and returned. Calls to close for comfort were frequent and the girls were no closer to getting that crystal.

"_Now what?" _asked Aimee while breathing heavily, but before she could answer, Aimee noticed the leader make a move to stab Priscilla. Instead the leader of the mermaids stabbed Aimee in the stomach as she placed herself in front of Priscilla. She let out a piecing scream as she clutched the wound and coughed up blood.

"You did say 'Over your dead body'." Mocked the mermaid not really caring who she stabbed as she pulled her weapon out of Aimee in one sharp motion causing Aimee to scream again.

Aimee took her staff sword and in a moment of pure adrenaline she cut down two subordinates that had jumped in the way of her strike meant for the leader with a windmill spin of her blades, before collapsing in pain. Blood was beginning to seep through her arms as she clutched them around her wound.

"AIMEE!" A scream cut through the air, though it was not Priscilla who yelled, but Hatter.

Hearing Aimee's scream had brought Tarrant out of his trance. Zora dashed over to Aimee and gently nuzzled her, but Aimee didn't move. Then Zora vanished into the necklace in order to conserve Aimee's energy.

Priscilla who was still fending off the other mermaids was surprised when she heard the loud war cry from hatter and even more so when he charged the last three mermaids. His eyes were not orange, but a fiery red. He took out one subordinate, catching her off guard and battled the leader while Priscilla took on the other.

"You do not want to fight me." the leader mermaid tried to convince Hatter, but to no avail.

"You hurt my bonnie lass. You will pay." He said fiercely in his Scottish brogue as he took a swipe at her head and barely missed. The creature hissed in frustration and to her further anger Priscilla had just taken out her last warrior. The leader struck Hatter with all her anger and might sending him into the wall of the cliff causing it to crumble as he hit it and then retreated closer to the bog.

The water began to churn again and Priscilla thought more fighters were on the way, instead the leader started to transform. Her eyes became red, her hair turned into dark red tentacle connected by webbing, her body became bony and sharp, ragged fin like wings sprouted from her back and upper tail, and he nails became claws. She let out a high pierced shriek and to Priscilla's surprise Jareth teleported away from Aeryck and stood next to her on the shore of the bog. He had regained his dazed look.

"JARETH!" Priscilla yelled.

"He is mine, your friends have fallen, and there is nothing you can do about it." The mermaid taunted as she wrapped her tentacles around Jareth and nuzzled his neck. Priscilla's anger sky rocketed.

"_Sing." _Said Aeryck.

"_What?"_Asked Priscilla.

"_Sing. It's the only way to break the mermaids hold on Jareth. Now sing." _Aeryck commanded.

"_I can't think of a song." _Priscilla panicked.

"_Any song will do. Just pick one." _Priscilla looked at Jareth, still wrapped in the mermaid's arms, and the only song she could think of was the one from the movie. The words poured from her mouth:

_There's such a sad love  
Deep in your eyes, a kind of pale jewel  
Open and closed within your eyes  
I'll place the sky within your eyes_

Priscilla began the first few verses hesitantly, but as she sang her voice gained confidence:

_There's such a fooled heart  
Beating so fast in search of new dreams  
A love that will last within your heart  
I'll place the moon within your heart_

The melody soared and dipped as she put her heart into the lyrics. The mermaid's movements started to falter. She was being put into a trance against her will. The pure feelings that Priscilla put into her song was too much for the cold heartedness of the mermaid. She tried to sing louder to block out the sound of Priscilla's voice, but it was no use. Priscilla's love was just too true.

_As the pain sweeps through  
Makes no sense for you  
Every thrill has gone  
Wasn't too much fun at all  
But I'll be there for you-oo-oo  
As the world falls down_

Falling  
Falling in love

The mermaids singing had faltered completely and Jareth's eyes were clear. He was smiling lovingly as he started to sing the last few verses with her. His voice intertwined with hers in a way that was so perfect it was as if one person was singing. He ripped himself away from the mermaid and tore the crystal off of the mermaid's waist.

Priscilla took flight and started towards the mermaid with blinding speed and took hold of her shoulders. She carried her up high into the air. The screeching mermaid struggled to free its self from Priscilla's iron grip to no avail. Priscilla's talon like nails dug into the mermaid's skin. Then she suddenly dropped her into the bog and before she could resurface Priscilla froze the bog with her in it.

She then turned and landed lightly next to Jareth. Together they sang the last of the song.

_I'll paint you mornings of gold  
I'll spin you Valentine evenings  
Though we're strangers till now  
We're choosing the path between the stars  
I'll leave my love between the stars_

Falling  
Falling  
Falling  
Falling in love  
As the world falls down  
I've fallen in love

They smiled lightly at each other and were leaning in to kiss, but a groan from Hatter caught their attention.

Hatter had stumbled to his feet and was making his way towards Aimee. He fell down to his knees and gathered her into his arms. Priscilla and Jareth ran over to his side.

"Aimee." Hatter said softly with a tinge of desperation. He shook her lightly while periodically saying her name louder and louder. Her face was deathly pale and her eyes were glassy. Tears streamed down Tarrant's face in anguish.

"Aimee? She's… she can't… be… no..." Priscilla sobbed in despair as Jareth put his arm around her. Even Jareth was upset, he might not have liked Aimee very much, but she did try to help in her own special way, then he remembered something.

"Priscilla, you healed the tree can't you heal Aimee as well?" Jareth asked.

Priscilla's eyes lit up with hope as she bent down and concentrated as she lightly waved her now glowing hands over Aimee's wounds like she had done for the tree. At first nothing happened so Priscilla concentrated even harder. Perspiration gathered on her forehead as the wounds finally started to heal and the clothes repaired themselves. Aimee's eyes fluttered, her skin regained a healthy coloring, and a tired smile lit up her features.

"Hey. What happened?" Hatter hugged Aimee tightly as Priscilla breathed a sigh of relief.

"My bonnie lass, I'm so sorry I couldn't protect you. I will never forgive myself for letting you come to harm. My heart could not bear it if I had lost you. I would have died on the spot my dearest love. I would have…" The Hatter was off on another torrent of emotional ramblings as he held Aimee. Aimee lifted her hand and placed her finger tips against his lips, shushing him. Then removing her hand and lifting his bandana slightly she gently placed her lips against Tarrant's. They drew apart slowly and stared into each other's eyes.

"Tarrant, I'm fine." Aimee said. Tarrant nodded and helped Aimee up to her feet and was tackled by a hug from Priscilla. "Now what happened? All I remember is getting cut by that stupid fish stick. Did I pass out or something?"

Aimee looked around at the grave faces for a moment then realization dawned upon her.

"I died." Aimee said quietly in a shocked voice as Tarrant hugged her even tighter.

"_I am happy that you are unharmed."_ Said Zora as she rubbed up against Aimee's legs and leapt into her arms.

"I'm so glad you're ok." Priscilla said. Aimee smiled as Priscilla hugged her again.

"All thanks to you. Now, can I have my arm back? I hear circulation is important." Aimee replied as Priscilla released her then Aimee turned to Jareth. "What? No hug?"

He just rolled his eyes at her in reply. Aimee then questioned them on what happened after she went down.

"And now we have three of the five crystals. All we need to do is get the last two." Jareth finished. Aimee's eyes got wide and then she obtained a sheepish smile.

"Oh yeah, actually we only have one left to go." Aimee said in a high pitch nervous voice as she pulled out the crystal the goblins gave her and spun it on her finger. Jareth snatched it from her hands.

"You've had this all along." He yelled as Aimee just scratched the back of her head.

"Aimee how could you forget you had this?" Priscilla exclaimed.

"Heh-heh, yeah sorry about that, I forget things all the time." Aimee said as Priscilla and Jareth stared at her in astonishment. Tarrant just hugged Aimee from behind as they laughed at their friends expressions.


	36. Teragons

Fanyr threw the looking glass across the room and into a wall causing it to shatter into a million pieces as he yelled in frustration. The mermaids had failed miserably. He was loathe to admitting it, but he was running out of ideas and to make matters worse the girls were gaining more power. The fact that the girl's voice had outmatched the leader of the mermaids was proof of that and what a beautiful voice she had.

'When she is mine I will have her sing for me every day.' He thought. Then he was struck by an idea, but he would need more time to set it up. He reformed the looking glass and gazed into it with a sinister smile as he watched the small group.

"Let's see how you handle the teragons." He smirked.


	37. On With the Journey

"_This is the song that never ends, yes it goes on and on my friends, some people started singing it not knowing what it was and they'll just keep on singing forever just because this is the song that never ends…." _Aimee and Hatter had been singing this song since they had left the now frozen section of the bog. Aimee had taught it to Hatter a while back. Jareth, who was easily annoyed started to rub his temples until finally he burst.

"Would you two shut up?" He yelled. Priscilla, who was used to Aimee's peculiarities, had tuned them out and jumped at Jareth's outburst.

"What's wrong with you?" Priscilla snapped.

"Your crazy friend and that deranged Hatter are driving me crazy with their singing." He snapped.

"Oh leave them alone. They're just having fun. Just tune them out." She snapped back.

"I can't they're too obnoxious. Why can't they just shut up?" Jareth yelled. Priscilla and Jareth continued on arguing like this for a while. Aimee was leaning against Tarrant watched the exchange with mild interest. Even though she was healed was still very weak.

"Mom and dad are fighting again." Aimee commented in a sarcastic monotone voice.

"SHUT UP!" Jareth and Priscilla yelled together causing Aimee and Hatter to jump while clinging to each other. They started walking again, but this time without singing.

"What's that sound?" Asked Priscilla a little later down the path, a stray breeze had stirred up some dry leaves. She was a little paranoid since the last attack.

"It's the wind speaking to us." Aimee smarted off.

"Oh yeah, what's it saying?" Jareth asked in an irritated voice.

"I don't know, I don't speak wind." Aimee said with a grin while Priscilla laughed as Jareth and Tarrant exchanged confused looks.

"Look, there's the bridge!" Priscilla said.

"Or at least what's left of it." Aimee said. The bridge had crumbled and been submerged into the bogs murky waters.

"Now what?" Asked Hatter. Aimee walked to the edge of the bridge and looked over the edge.

"Thinking about jumping in because if you are please, allow me to push you." Jareth said with a smirk.

"No you dolt, I'm not jumping." Aimee said with a smirk of her own. "This is going to take a good bit of my energy because I have to reach through the murky icky water, so someone be ready to catch me."

"Aimee you were just healed and your still weak, maybe we should wait till tomorrow." Priscilla said a little worriedly.

"I'll be fine, besides we don't have time to wait anymore. You know as well as I do that Fanyr is closing the vice even tighter around us. The mermaids are proof of that." Aimee reasoned. Priscilla reluctantly gave in and allowed Aimee to proceed.

Aimee closed her eyes and stretched her hands over the bog. Her hands took on a yellow green glow with deep purple sparks. The strange glow then traveled until it covered her entire body. She gritted her teeth as the water churned violently and then rising from below the water one boulder after another rose until it formed a stepping stone bridge to the other side. Hatter rushed to Aimee's side as she stumbled a little and put his arm around her.

"That was a rush." Aimee said and shook her head to dispel the dizziness.

"We need to stop for a while to let Aimee rest." Said Hatter.

The others were about to comply, but Aimee stopped them.

"No, we can't stop. We need to keep going." Aimee said as the started across the bog. She almost fell as another wave of dizziness hit her. If Hatter hadn't been there she would have fallen into the bog.

He lifted her up into his arms and carried her across as the others followed. When they reached the other side Aimee struggled to get out of hatter arms, but he wouldn't let her down.

"If we are not going to stop then I am going to carry you until we do." Tarrant said.

"But…" Aimee started, but was cut off by Tarrant.

"No buts. I'm carrying you." Tarrant said leaving no room for arguing. Aimee gave in and circled her arms around his neck. They continued along until it was almost night fall.

"You can take the masks off now." Said Jareth as he untied his own mask. The other followed suit and took in great gulps of fresh air.

"That's better." Priscilla said.

"So I guess we're staying here for the night." Aimee said as Hatter finally put her down.

"I'll set up the tents." Hatter said.

"Here, let me help." Aimee said.

"No, you sit down. You need your rest." Hatter said sternly.

"But …" Aimee started only to have Tarrant interrupt her by picking her up again and deposited her under a tree.

"Stay." He said sternly. Aimee pouted slightly, but obeyed.

After camp was set up Hatter joined Aimee under the tree and wrapped a blanket around them. Aimee happily snuggled up against him and laid her head on his shoulder.

Priscilla, who was sitting next to the fire, starred into its dancing flames. Aimee turned her head to see were Jareth was and saw him starring at Priscilla while changing weight from one foot to the other.

Jareth noticed Aimee looking at him and turned his head in her direction to see what she wanted. She jerked her head towards Priscilla and gave him a pointed look.

'Talk to her.' Aimee mouthed. He turned his gaze away from Aimee and back to Priscilla. He walked over to her and lightly tapped her on the shoulder.

"Would you join me for a walk?" Jareth drawled while holding out his hand to her.

"I'd love to." Priscilla answered right away. She took his offered hand and held it as they walked down the path.

'_Don't wait up.' _Priscilla said. Aimee just rolled her eyes and turned to Hatter.

"So what do you want to do now?" Aimee asked. Tarrant just smiled as he leaned down and buried one of his hands in her hair and the other was wrapped around her waist as he kissed her passionately.


	38. Priscilla and Jareth in Love

Priscilla made several globes of glowing water as they walked down the path and set them loose they floated like bubbles on the wind. They lent the path a ghostly romantic lighting.

"Gives me practice." Priscilla smiled when Jareth raised an eyebrow.

They lapsed into a comfortable silence. Jareth's slim thumb lightly caressed Priscilla's knuckles as they walked hand in hand.

"I'm sorry for what I said the other night Jareth. It was very foolish of me. I was just so scared. I've never felt this way about anybody and our situation seems impossible. A fey with a human, how could that ever work?" Priscilla said hesitantly.

She had come to a standstill as did Jareth. She looked at her feet nervously the glowing orbs surrounded them.

"You should be sorry for the way you treated me, but I understand your reasons." he drawled his kingly attitude coming through. Her hair had fallen in front of her face and reaching out Jareth lightly tucked her hair behind her ear. His fingers lightly grazed her cheek as he leaned forward and whispered into her ear.

"You still deserve punishment." he purred. His warm breath sent her senses reeling and set butterflies loose in her stomach.

"P-punishment, what kind of punishment?" she stuttered nervously. She could barely form a coherent sentence she was so distracted.

"This kind." He tilted her head up and lightly trailed kisses up her jaw.

Priscilla skin tingled everywhere he kissed and then he finally reached her mouth. His lips hovered over hers as she closed her eyes expectantly, but the kiss never came her eyes popped open only find him leaning against a tree on the other side of the path. He had a teasing smile curving his lips and a flirtatious twinkle in his eyes.

"That's not funny Jareth." she said petulantly, as a smile tugged at her lips.

"Well, you deserved it." He said with a smirk.

She put her hands behind her back and twirled her hand she drew moisture from the air and she formed a mini water globe above Jareth's head. She looked Jareth in the eyes as she took halting steps towards him. She stopped about two feet from him.

"Jareth, how will we make this work?" she said.

"Don't worry things will work out trust me." his drawl softened into a voice of assurance. "Do you trust me?" he said softly, his eyes were serious and she knew the wrong answer could hurt him deeply.

"With everything." she said confidently and smiled.

"Rightly so." he said impudently. She narrowed her eyes at him.

"What if I had said no?" she questioned.

"Then I would have punished you some more." Jareth smirked challengingly.

Priscilla's hand twitched and she let the water globe above his head fall. His eyes widened in surprise as he barley dodged it.

"Why you minx!" he said.

"You deserved it!" Priscilla smirked throwing his words back at him.

She leaped away as he jumped to catch her. He playfully glared at her as he disappeared and reappeared behind her. He wrapped his arms around her and held her so she couldn't get away. She struggled for a bit but couldn't get loose and she soon gave up. She turned around in his arms. She looked up at him and reached out to caress his cheek.

"I'm caught but now that I think about it I don't want to be let lose." She said.

"Not that you have a choice." he said huskily as he slowly lowered his head to kiss her and that's when they heard loud shrieking in the direction of the camp site.

"Aimee and Tarrant!" Priscilla called forth her wings Jareth still held her. "Jareth we must go."

"Yes." he said as he kissed her. It was a brief passionate kiss, but she could feel the effects all the way down to her bones. "Now we can go I'll be right beside you."

With that Priscilla leaped and flew low into the trees hoping Aimee and Tarrant were all right.


	39. Attack of the Teragons

Aimee was sitting up with her back against a tree as Tarrant rested his head in her lap. Aimee was lightly running her fingers through his wild hair when all of the sudden she felt like they were being watched. At first she thought it was Priscilla and Jareth, but she could feel that this was not a friendly gaze.

"What's wrong?" Tarrant asked. He had felt Aimee tense up.

"Do you hear that?" Aimee whispered while continuing running her fingers through his hair.

"I don't hear anything." Tarrant replied while sitting up after a moment of listening.

"Exactly." Aimee said standing to her feet. There was not any noise at all to be heard.

A loud screech erupted from above them and a great shadow swooped down at them. They dived out of the way just in time as the shadow flew over them barley missing them.

"What was that?" Aimee yelled.

"_It's a teragon." _Zora replied as she took on her fighter form.

"_A what?" _Aimee asked.

"_Think pterodactyl and human hybrid." _Zora explained as she swiped her claws at the teragons.

Aimee explained what Zora said to Tarrant as they dodged the teragons which was difficult to do in the limited light of the fire.

"I think it's time we shed some light on the situation." Aimee said as she reached her hand toward the fire and caused it to erupt into a giant column. It lit up the surrounding area to reveal a large group of teragons.

"Oh dear." Tarrant said as the teragons started to attack.

Aimee drew back her hand and cracked an inflamed thorn covered vine whip at the teragons and threw fire balls at them. Tarrant slashed his long sword at any teragon that came within range and had efficiently taken down three while Aimee had taken out four.

"There are too many of them." Aimee yelled as a teragon charged her only to be slammed into the ground by a strong gust of wind.

"Looks like you two could use some back up." Priscilla said.

"Took you long enough to get here." Aimee said as she flipped backwards to avoid the talons of her attackers and fried a few more.

"That's gratitude for you." Priscilla said back with a smile as she pierced the bodies of more teragons with ice spikes.

"While it's nice that you two are having a lovely chat we could use some help." Jareth said as he drew his rapier. The hilt was an owl and the handle was engraved with wings. He moved with all the grace and speed that was expected of a fey. He used his teleporting skills to sneak up on the prehistoric enemy.

"There are too many of them, we need to fall back." Hatter said. They had taken out fifteen of the thirty teragons only to find that reinforcements had come and replaced they're fallen comrades bringing their numbers back up. They started to make a strategic retreat when everything went wrong.

"No, Priscilla." Aimee yelled. A teragon had snuck up behind them and snatched Priscilla up. Jareth through his crystal up to attack, but another sneaky teragon snatched it from the air causing Jareth to crumple in weakness and followed the teragon that had Priscilla. Without the crystal Jareth could not even stand.

Another teragon was about to snatch Aimee up, but Tarrant jumped in the way and was snatched instead.

"Tarrant!" Aimee screamed.

In a last ditch effort to save them Aimee lifted her right fist and slammed it into the ground causing an explosion of lightning and fire. The teragons scattered. It erupted all around her and into the sky and the ground rumbled and started to crack like an earthquake. Amazingly, thanks to her control, it only hurt the teragons, but unfortunately the teragons got away with their spoils.

The last thing Aimee saw before she blacked out from the tax to her powers and the strain on her newly healed body were the teragons flying away with her best friend and her hearts love.


	40. Captured Pt1

"Let go of me you stupid reptile!" Priscilla railed at the teragon and beat at the talons clutching at her shoulders.

She tried to freeze the reptile's claws several times but the air around the teragon gave an almost indiscernible gray ripple. There seemed to be protective magic spell cast on it. She called forth a tornado, but the teragon flew right through that too.

"DARN IT!" she yelled in frustration.

"_Aeryck can you do something about this_?" Priscilla asked.

"_I don't think I can. This is dark magic. It would put both of us at risk if I tried, your magic is strong, but it isn't at that level yet. _" Aeryck explained.

"_It's Fanyr isn't it?_" Priscilla said despairingly.

"_Yes._" said Aeryck, quietly he paused suddenly. "_Listen!_" Aeryck said as she quirked her head to the side.

"Priscilla!" she heard a faint voice calling her name. It was coming closer she tried to twist around in the teragons grip, but it just clenched harder.

"Ow! You stupid flying chicken!" she pounded her fist on the creatures talons once again.

"I can hear you who ever you are!" Priscilla yelled. She thought of summoning Aeryck to go see what was happening, but she didn't trust the stupid flying lizard that was holding her. She was afraid it might try to eat Aeryck before he could transform.

She craned her neck around the teragons leg as much as she could. She could see another teragon approaching the one holding her. There was a figure dressed in ridiculously bright mismatched colors clutched in its claws.

"Hatter!" she called the other teragon was almost next to them now.

"Hey there lassie, fine day isn't it!" he said.

"Oh no! Hatter you got caught too. Aimee must be freaking out right now." Priscilla said.

"It's alright this teragon was aiming to catch my bonnie lass, but I wasn't going to allow that." he said proudly in Scottish brogue.

Priscilla was glad that Aimee didn't get caught. She would be safe and she would help Jareth.

"Okay we need to do something." Priscilla said

"Yes, we do now that Jareth no longer has his crystal what are we to do?" Hatter said.

"WHAT! Jareth doesn't have his crystal anymore!" Priscilla exclaimed. "He's powerless without them."

"_What should I do Aeryck? What if Fanyr gets a hold of you along with the crystals… that can't be a good thing? Can he steal and use you?" _Priscilla asked.

"_Yes he can." _Aeryck said.

"_I have to get you out of here." _An idea struck Priscilla. Struggling to reach up she grabbed Aeryck and yanked him off.

"_What are you doing?" _Aeryck exclaimed. Not answering him Priscilla concentrated on her and Aimee's link.

"_I hope this works." _Priscilla closed her eyes and a red and black mist covered Aeryck and he disappeared.

"Goodbye my good friend." she whispered.

If what Priscilla had done worked Aeryck would be teleported back to Aimee. Priscilla's clothes faded back into what she was wearing before she activated Aeryck as they flew ever closer to the castle at the heart of the Labyrinth an ominous dread gripped her heart.


	41. Seperated Again

Aimee slowly opened her eyes and let out a small groan, and then the events of the night before came rushing back to her. She quickly stumbled to her feet and looked around her. Her eyes landed on a small shinning object not far from where she was lying.

"Aeryck!" sure enough lying on the ground was Priscilla's necklace. This was not good. Priscilla was powerless without it. Also lying next to it was Hatters handkerchief and Priscilla's satchel. She held Tarrant's handkerchief tightly in her hands as the reality of her situation hit her. She was all alone and had no way of saving them.

A groan to her far right broke her out of her dark thoughts.

She quickly ran over to the source and there in the bushes Aimee found the source of the groan. Sitting up on the ground with his head bowed was Jareth.

"Jareth!" Aimee yelled as she tackled the surprised Goblin King in a hug. "You're alright."

"That wouldn't be entirely true." Jareth said in an exhausted voice.

"Why? What's wrong?" Aimee said worriedly as she looked him over. He didn't have any wounds that she could see.

"The teragons stole my crystal. Without it I'm powerless." Jareth explained.

"Then how will we save Priscilla and Tarrant? I can't do it by myself." Aimee said.

_"Aimee, give me to Jareth." _A weak voice said.

"_Aeryck? But I thought only a familiar's owner could use them." _Aimee said.

"_Because of Jareth and Priscilla's bond Aeryck can lend him his strength as he did with Priscilla." _Zora explained.

"_Ok." _Aimee looked down at Priscilla's necklace, lifted it, and placed it around Jareth's neck. The moment the necklace came in contact with Jareth's skin his energy was restored.

"Priscilla's necklace." He mumbled lightly and he gripped the pendent firmly.

"How are we going to get them back?" Aimee asked. "What are we going to do?"

"For now let's head towards the junkyard, if we are lucky we will run into the resistance." Jareth said.


	42. Captured Pt2

"Tarrant, whatever happens to me, tell Aimee and Jareth that they have to take back the castle no matter what okay." she called to him.

"You can tell them when we get through this." Tarrant said firmly.

"Tarrant I need to know you will do this for me." Priscilla said.

"Priscilla…" Tarrant started, but was cut off by Priscilla.

"Tarrant, promise me." Priscilla ordered.

"I will lass on my word as a hatter." he called back. She sensed that strange pull getting stronger even though she didn't have her powers as they were getting close and the dread that gripped her heart was growing stronger as well. She saw a dark spot appearing on the horizon. It was the castle.

It looked nothing like the movie. The surrounding sky was covered in threatening black, red clouds and very air was tinged an iridescent tomb stone grey. The castle itself was carved out of the upper part of a mountain and colored white, but not completely. A black substance was seeping out of crevices and between the bricks. It traveled down the castle walls like black blood giving the castle an overall macabre look.

What would have been magnificent turrets were now marred by the carved statues of grotesque twisted creatures. The outer walls of goblin city were in a state of extreme disrepair. The parts that had crumbled were permeated by the black substance that looked like it was choking the life out of the castle. Torches on the castle burned bright, blood red and lit up sets of pikes that seemed to be on every wall. To her immense relief there was nothing on them. Screams of pain and terror filled the air causing Priscilla to shiver involuntarily.

"What kind of monster are we dealing with?" said Hatter in his Scottish brogue.

"One that has to be stopped." Priscilla said as the teragons came in for a landing in the castles court yard.

The court yard was no better than the rest of the castle. The once beautiful flowers and trees were now all dead and statues of many different creatures in different poses, their faces locked in the pure terror, were everywhere. As they stood there surrounded by the teragons to ensure that they stayed put a voice drew their attention.

"Welcome to my home, admiring my artwork I see. They are quite life like or at least they used to be." A tall, handsome man strolled into the court yard. He had a chiseled jaw and his skin was pale. He had black flowing hair and his topaz colored eyes gleamed as if they were lit from within, but they had a sinister tinge of red to them. He was clad in a black poet's shirt, tight pants, knee high riding boots, and had a dark green sash around his waist.

He strolled past the now bowing teragons and walked straight up to Priscilla. He attempted to take her hand and kiss it, but she quickly snatched it away and Hatter hurriedly stood between them. Instead of looking annoyed by Hatters interference, Fanyr looked amused.

"You will not touch her." He said in his Scottish brogue.

"Well, well if it isn't the famous Mad Hatter." Fanyr sneered before snapping his fingers and causing Hatter to disappear.

"What did you do to him? Where is he?" Priscilla yelled.

"Let's just say he's hanging around." Fanyr said as he circled Priscilla with a disturbing gleam in his eyes.

"I don't sense any magic in you. How were you able to fly and accomplish those feats that I have seen you do so often?" Fanyr questioned.

'_So he was the one watching us. I thought I felt a creepy presence every once in a while._' Priscilla thought.

"What do you want from me!" she spit at him.

"What any man wants from a woman." he said "I presume you need no introduction from me"

He stopped in front of her then he reached out and sensuously stroked her cheek. Priscilla violently jerked away from him and aimed a kick at his leg.

"Let me go!" she ordered as Fanyr laughed.

"You protest right now, but soon you will be mine, Nox!" A night shade slinked to Fanyr's side. To Priscilla's horror she noticed that it was the night shade that had attacked her last time.

"Take her to her chambers do not lay a finger on her otherwise." He turned back to her "We will continue this conversation at dinner."

"I'd rather starve!" she yelled at him. Fanyr merely laughed and walked toward another teragon.

"What do we have here? Oh, yes my crystal." Fanyr took the crystal from the teragon and held it up. The crystal began to change as soon as Fanyr touched it. It had begun to glow and then turned completely black. It was like watching a lunar eclipse.

"That not your crystal. It will never belong to you!" Priscilla yelled as Nox dragged her away.


	43. The Resistance

Jareth, who was riding on Aeryck, landed lightly and was soon joined by Aimee who was ridding Zora. The familiars returned to their necklaces as they stood on the outskirts of the junkyard.

"We need to meet with the Underground Resistance the labyrinth told me where they were before the crystals were taken let's hope they haven't moved yet." Aimee noticed that Jareth's eyes had reverted back to their icy state and his mouth had a cruel look to it.

"We will find them." Aimee said, not only to reassure Jareth, but to sate her own fears as well. "They'll be ok."

"I know." Jareth nodded, and then started down the hill into the junkyard with Aimee following behind. They had not been walking long when, all of the sudden, they were surrounded and attacked. Aimee slammed her fists into the ground and caused a walk wall to come between their attackers and themselves.

"Aimee!" Asked a surprised and very familiar voice called from the other side of the earth wall.

"Hoggle!" Aimee said happily, while bringing her earth walls down. She ran up to the dwarf and hugged him. "I'm so glad we found you."

"It's good to see you too. Where's Priscilla?" Hoggle asked.

"Fanyr kidnapped her and Tarrant. We have to find a way to get them back. That's why we came here." Aimee Answered.

"Hogwart." said Jareth.

"It's Hogg- Jareth!" Hoggle shrank into himself as bit Jareth walked up to him. Aimee, noticing Hoggle's discomfort, put a reassuring hand on his shoulder.

"We need your help in order to retrieve the crystals. They were taken along with Priscilla and Tarrant." When Jareth said Priscilla's name his eyes softened a bit. Hoggle immediately noticed and thought the crystals weren't the only things he wanted to retrieve.

"We will help our King. We would rather have you than that monster on the throne. How does that saying go, the lesser of two evils." said a fey in a light mocking tone. The fey had red hair pulled into a long braid, striking amber eyes, and handsome features.

"Almair, my old friend!" Jareth and the fey smiled and grasped each other's upper arms in greeting.

"My liege we are glad to see you. We were hoping the humans would be able to accomplish what we could not." Almair turned to Aimee, took her hand, and gave it a light kiss. "Many thanks."

"No Problem." Aimee said as she awkwardly retrieved her hand and gave him a lazy salute. "Now what are we going to do about saving Priscilla and Tarrant?"

"We should have that discussion elsewhere. It's not safe here, Follow us." Almair said.

Almair led the small troop down a path between the piles of junk. It looked like an antique collectors dream and worst nightmare. There were plenty of old things, but they were all broken.

As they walked along Aimee slipped on some loose debris only to be caught by Almair.

"You must be more careful." He said with a smile.

"Thanks for the assist." Aimee said as they continued on.

They came up to a particularly large pile of debris when Almair stopped abruptly. He knocked on what seemed to be a large door just lying loose on the pile was.

"What's the password?" Yelled a voice from under the door.

"Gob Gob, it's me Almair. Open up." Almair said. The door creaked open and revealed a waist high goblin. He had a spiky brown mo hawk streaked with blonde and brown eyes. He was wearing green plaid trousers and a loose tan top with a leather vest. He had a small sword strapped to his back.

"What's the point of having a password if you ain't never gonna use it?" Gob Gob asked in a high pitched nasally voice.

"We never agreed on a password Gob, that was your idea. You know we have a magic ward to keep out anyone who means us harm." Hoggle said as they entered through the door.

They continued down a large tunnel that emptied out into a larger room lined with cots. There were all sorts of creatures both male and female scurrying around. Some that lay on the cots were obviously hurt or sick and the ones scurrying around tended to them. Hoggle went over and began to help as Almair, Aimee, and Jareth continued on.

After leaving that room they entered another of the many tunnels that fed off from that room. This one emptied out into smaller room in which held a large table covered in maps and other papers. Surrounding the table were various chairs of all shapes and sizes. They all took a seat then began to explain their plan.

"We have been preparing a direct assault on the city and then the castle. We have been building an army and we now believe we are strong enough for the attack. We have four major points of attack we have mapped out to draw out his forces and a smaller force will be attacking from underground. They will set off explosives in the castle." Almair said.

"Underground?" Aimee questioned.

"Yes. We are using a secret tunnel that has not been used for years. We believe it was originally a secret escape for royalty in times of war." Almair explained.

"Fanyr does not know of its existence?" Aimee asked.

"We believe not. We only discovered it by accident and most of it was caved in." Almair said and sent a questioning glance towards Jareth.

"No I don't believe so. I myself did not know of its existence." Jareth said. Aimee and Jareth exchanged a swift look.

"We'll go with the small group in the tunnel. We have two friends of ours that Fanyr has captured." Aimee stated and left no room for argument. "When do we leave?"

"We attack tonight as soon as the sun sets. If you wish I can show you were you can rest." Almair said. Aimee and Jareth followed him out and back into the main room then down another tunnel. He came upon an entrance covered by a curtain. Almair moved the curtain aside to reveal a small room with five unoccupied cots.

"You will not be bothered here." He said as Aimee and Jareth entered. "I will leave you now."

Aimee walked over to the nearest cot and set down. She then buried her face in her hands. Her shoulders trembled as she tried with no success to hold back her tears. She jumped slightly when she felt an arm around her shoulders. Jareth smiled a little awkwardly at her.

"You're going soft on me goblin king." Aimee joked sadly.

"Are you kidding? The moment we get Priscilla and Tarrant back, we will go back to the way we were before." Jareth joked back with a smile, and then his face became solemn again. "Get some rest; we have a long battle a head of us."

Aimee nodded and laid down. She reached into her pocket and took out Hatters handkerchief. She tightly hugged it to her chest and let her tears slide down her face silently.

'_I'll save you Tarrant, Priscilla if it is the last thing I do and god help whoever stands in my way.' _Aimee thought angrily as a flicker of fire ignited her eyes.


	44. Escape Pt1

Priscilla was sitting on the bed staring at the canopy in the bedroom chambers Fanyr had ordered her into. Her fists were raw from beating at the large ornate double doors, and her voice wasn't doing to good either. She had looked around the room for any exits, but it was no use. There was only the door she had been forced through.

She got up and looked around the room. It was beautiful room. At any other time she would have appreciated the detail that had gone into the craving of all the furniture and the detailed stitching in the tapestries the floors were white marble and covered in lush carpets. The ceiling its self was enchanted, she guessed, to reflect the mood of the person staying in the room by using the weather, because at the moment it was overcast and raining.

She picked at string coming undone on her sweater and then stuck her hands in front jean pockets. She felt something metallic rub up against her finger tips. She pulled it out of her pocket to find that it was a metal hair pin that must have stayed in her pocket from the last time she had worn the jeans.

She stared at the hair pin now held in her palm. It was odd seeing this normal everyday object from her world in this kind of fairytale room and then an idea dawned on her. She hurried to the door and kneeled in front of it. She peered through the key hole.

'_Maybe I could pick the lock.'_ She thought as she stuck the pin in the keyhole.

She pressed her ear to the door and wiggled the hair pin around in the lock. She assumed there wasn't any security since they figured a powerless human woman wouldn't need any guarding. She kept picking the lock till she heard a distinct click.

"_Yes_!" she cracked open the door and peered into the long spacious white marble corridor riddled with ebony splotches. A row of windows ran down the left side there wasn't a soul to be seen.

She slipped into the corridor and shut the door behind her. She quietly ran towards an archway and peeked around the corner. There was a light movement in the shadows.

'_Well they didn't leave me completely unguarded. It's that creepy nightshade._' She thought.

She pushed back against the wall and thought of a plan. She still had the metal hair pin clutched in her palm. She took a deep breath exhaled and calmly walked into the shadowy archway. She took a few steps into the corridor and felt something whoosh past her arm and then she felt the familiar coldness of a blade pressed against her neck.

"What is the little human doing out of its cage?" The putrid stink of his breath made her nauseous once again.

"You again! What do I have to do, get a restraining order?" Priscilla said in frustration. This only made Nox press the blade in a little more. "Tell me what that blade is made of?"

"Obsidian, Why do you want to know?" he hissed and tightened his hold on her throat. He drew blood on purpose causing her to wince.

"Because this-!" She rammed her elbow into his ribs causing him to yelp in pain and he let his blade drop. She then grabbed his slimy wrist and twisted it and then rammed the metal hair pin into the still fresh wound on his chest till it pierced his heart. He screamed in agony and burst into burst into black flame the hair pin landed on the floor in a loud "plink" it glowed a faint red and then cooled.

"Those self defense classes have paid off." She smirked feeling no remorse in what she had done. She was sure he had done much worse to others.

She picked up the hair pin and tucked it into her sweater sleeve. She picked up the knife as well and tucked it into the waist of her pants as she continued into the castle. She had to duck and hide many times because of passing durgs armed to the teeth. As she crept down the hall she had one concern.

'I have to find Hatter.' She thought.


	45. Nightmare

It was dark and dank where ever Aimee was at the moment then all of the sudden there was a torch lit in the room. When her eyes adjusted to the light the first thing she noticed was Tarrant chained to the wall. His back was facing her and she was terrified to see that it was covered in blood and the remnants of his shirt. Where the shackles held on to his wrists was rubbed raw and also bleeding.

'_Tarrant!' _Aimee exclaimed. Tarrant tried to turn towards her, but the chains restricted him. She ran over to him and put her arms around him being careful not to do any more damage.

'_My bonnie lass, what are you doing here?' _Before Aimee could answer she was interrupted by a very familiar voice.

'_Well, well, well; if it isn't my best friend.' _Aimee turned towards the all too familiar voice of Priscilla.

Priscilla stood in the entrance of the cell flanked by two medium sized goblin, gargoyle hybrids holding a cat-o-nine tails. As for Priscilla, she had changed greatly. She was wearing one of the slinkiest black and burgundy dresses Aimee had ever seen.

It was a heart shaped top corset with spaghetti straps. Over the stomach was shear and covered sparsely in burgundy flowers with black jeweled centers. The skirt was long and had a dangerously high slit up the right side. She was also wearing a necklace that completely covered her neck and was made of the same flowers on the dress. Her hair was up in a messy up do and dotted with black and red rubies. Her make-up consisted of dark eye shadow and blood red lips. The overall transformation did not bode well.

'_Priscilla, what's going on?' _Aimee said uncertainly.

'_Aimee run, she's not herself, Fanyr is controlling her. He…' _ Tarrant didn't get the chance to finish. Priscilla had snapped her fingers and a black cloth gagged him. Aimee tried to get it off, but couldn't.

'_Now we wouldn't want to give away the ending now would we.' _She snapped her fingers again and one of the creatures at her side grabbed Aimee and tore her away from Tarrant. She tried to fight him, but her powers weren't working.

Priscilla sauntered over to Tarrant and ran her hand through his hair. She bent down and placed her head on his shoulder. She lightly ran her lips over his ear. Tarrant tried to shake her off, but it was no good. His chains restricted him too much.

'_Priscilla, you are my best friend, but if you don't back off my man RIGHT NOW I will not be responsible for my actions.' _Aimee said angrily.

'_Well if this bothers you I can only imagine what this will do to you.' _Priscilla said as she moved out of the way of one of her little monsters.

The other creature with the cat-o-nine tails smiled maliciously at Aimee as it raised its weapon and started hitting Tarrant on the back. Blood streamed down his back and his muffled screams tore Aimee apart.

'_Oh dear. That looks painful.' _Priscilla mused with a wicked smile.

'_NO, STOP IT! PRISCILLA STOP HIM! PLEASE! NO! TARRANT!' _Aimee screamed as Priscilla's cold laughter rang throughout the cell.

Aimee woke up with a start after her restless sleep and stared up at the ceiling with tears running down her cheeks, then turning over she found that Jareth was still asleep on the cot at the other end of the room. Being careful not to wake him Aimee got up and exited the small room. She didn't want to have to tell him about her dream. She was sure it was more than just a dream, but a foreshadowing of some time.

'_Aimee, are you alright?' _asked Zora.

'_You saw my dream and we both know it was more than just a dream. It was a warning.' _Aimee replied.

'_What are you going to do?" _Zora asked and Aimee knew she was referring to Jareth.

'_I'm going to have to tell him some time, but not now.'_ Aimee said sadly. _'Let him sleep for now. He's going to need his strength."_

Aimee couldn't believe that Priscilla had done that. When she saw Fanyr she was going to make sure he went down.

She walked down the tunnel and back to the main room. Surveying the room she could not spot Hoggle or Almair, though she did notice all the different kinds of creatures.

There were Nymphs, Dryads, Centaurs, Elves, and many other humanoid creatures. There were also some interesting animals, such as unicorns, Pegasus, and to her great amazement other animals of every kind were talking.

She continued to look around when she came upon a group of children. There were five of them forming a circle around a sixth and seemed to be playing keep away. They tossed a rag doll up in the air as the little girl jumped up and tried to catch it.

"Give it back!" Cried the little girl, but her bullies wouldn't listen.

Aimee swiftly walked over to the group and snatched the doll out of the air. The group turned around sharply to see who had interfered in their game, but one look from Aimee sent them scurrying. Aimee gently bent down to the little girl's eye level and handed her back the rag doll.

"Here you go." Aimee said with an awkward smile. She had never really ever been that good with children.

"Thank you." Said the little girl as she hugged the doll close.

"Why were they picking on you?" Aimee asked.

"Because I'm different." She Replied. Now that Aimee looked at her she was different than the other fey she had encountered. She looked more human than fae. She had beautiful brown wavy and a sweet heart shaped face. Her purple eyes were the only unique thing that separated her from being a full human.

'_She must be one of the children that were wished away.' _Aimee thought.

"There is nothing wrong with being different." Aimee said firmly. "Come on, let's find your parents."

Aimee had also been picked on because of her appearance and knew exactly what it felt like to be taunted. She took the little girls hand and led her while looking for her parents. The little girl still looked very upset so Aimee tried to reassure her.

"People used to pick on me too. It was hard and I began to believe them, but you know what, they were wrong. There was nothing wrong with me and there is nothing wrong with you. You should never let them get to you." Aimee said gently.

"Thank you." The little girl smiled and soon after they found her parents.

Her father was a fey with blue eyes and maroon hair. Her mother had dark green hair and green blue eyes. The little girl ran up to them and happily waved back to Aimee who returned the gesture. She accepted the thanks of her parents then turned around only to find Almair's smiling face.

"You have a good way with children." He said.

"Thanks. Usually I'm not that good around them. She's just a really sweet girl." Aimee replied as they watched the happy family.

"Are you hungry?" He asked suddenly.

"Famished." Aimee said. He motioned for her to follow him.

As they walked down yet another tunnel Aimee was startled slightly when she felt Almair's hand on her lower back guiding her to the right of a fork in the tunnel. He did not seem to be about to remove said hand when they were heading down the right tunnel so Aimee, not one for unnecessary physical contact, sped up a little.

"How long has this resistance been going on?" Aimee asked to break the silence.

"To long. We have been trying to gain a foothold in our attacks against him, but he was too strong for us. We have lost many allies." He said sadly. Aimee can tell he is blaming himself for those loses and put a hand on his shoulder.

"It's not your fault. It's Fanyr's; you shouldn't blame yourself for his actions." Aimee said. Almair took both her hands in his, surprising Aimee.

"Thank you. You are very kind." He said placing a kiss on each of her hands causing Aimee to blush and step away awkwardly while reclaiming her hands.

"Yeah, don't mention it." Aimee said nervously. "How about that food? I'm starving."

Almair once again began to lead her down the tunnel towards the smell of food and the sound of laughter.


	46. Escape Pt2

Priscilla continued down the corridor having no real way of telling which way she should go. She picked doors at random and turned down different halls on a whim. She had that familiar feeling of something guiding her to where she needed to be.

She came to the top of a spiral staircase and was about to walk past it when that feeling came back. She grabbed a torch and reluctantly started down the staircase. It was getting gradually darker and darker. If it wasn't for the torch she had grabbed she would have been in complete darkness.

After a while she finally came to level ground and right in front of her was a large medieval wooden door with a large lock on it. She walked up to the door and looked in through the barred window.

"Hatter?" She asked cautiously.

"Priscilla? Is that you?" Hatter replied. Even though Priscilla couldn't see him she was sure that she had heard pain in his voice.

'What had they done to him?' She thought as she sat the torch in a holder.

"Yeah, it's me. I'm going to get you out."She said as she took out her hairpin once again and fumbled with the lock until it clicked. She quickly opened the door, grabbed the torch, and rushed in.

Hatter was sitting down on the floor and had his back leaning against the wall. He looked horrible. His clothes were torn and bloodied also his hat was nowhere to be seen. Where his clothes were torn Priscilla could see deep gashes that were still bleeding.

"Come on, we have to get you out of here." Priscilla was in the process of helping Hatter to his feet when cold laughter rang out through the cell.

"Imagine my surprise when I come to the lovely room I had provided for you and found it empty, only to find you down here in this dark, dank dungeon. Now tell me why that is?" Fanyr's said.

Priscilla gently lowered Hatter back to the floor and slowly stood up with her back still facing Fanyr. Then she quickly took out the obsidian blade and turned around. She tried to stab Fanyr, but he was too fast and grabbed her wrist. Hatter tried to help, but his leg must have been hurt really bad because he couldn't even stand and immediately crumpled back to the ground and his lack of blood could not be helping him.

He squeezed her wrist until she dropped the blade. In a last ditch effort to save them she jabbed him with her hairpin, but it had no effect on him.

"Silly girl, don't you know that I am too strong for such a small amount of metal to have any kind of effect on me." He laughed and ripped the pin from his neck.

"I have something for you."He pulled her out of the cell and with a twitch of his hand he re-locked the cell door and they were enveloped in darkness.

"Hatter!" Priscilla yelled and then she was in her room again.

She tried to jab Fanyr in the gut, but it was no use. Fanyr laughed and pulled a small vial filled with black liquid out of his pocket.

"You my dear are quite a challenge and I dearly love challenges." He slammed her against the bedroom wall and pinned her arms over her head. She continued to fight him. He still held the vial in the other hand and he ripped the vial off with his mouth then spit the vial top out.

"Will you drink or do I have to force it down your throat?" He threatened.

"What is it?" She asked as he leaned close and looked into her eyes. He shook the vial in her face.

"This little beauty will grant you your deepest desires." He said.

"Jareth is my deepest desire. I would rather die than drink that." She spit in his face as he smirked.

He laughed and took a swig from the vial. He let it fall to the floor as he pinched her nose and forced her head back. She tried to fight against him, but she had to breathe. She gasped for air and that's when he kissed her and forced the liquid down her throat. She bit him and the taste of blood mingled with the bitter taste of the liquid. He pulled back and licked his lips.

"Refreshing." He smiled and pushed her hair back from her face.

"Now you are mine and you will be my queen." He kissed her again, this time avoiding her teeth. It was a rough possessive kiss.

Priscilla's vision began to go fuzzy and her head felt light. She started kissing him back even though she didn't want to. She tried to stop but it was as if her will was no longer hers. She felt tears fall from her cheeks.

"_Jareth forgive me._" Was her only thought.


	47. Lapudis

As Aimee and Almair entered the dining hall they are greeted by the ruckus behavior of all sorts of creatures. It was nice to see that their precarious situation did not dampen their spirits, but behind the laughter Aimee could see their fears and sorrow.

'_Better to laugh than cry, I suppose.' _Aimee thought, although without Tarrant or Priscilla all she could manage was a sad smile.

"You are worried about your friends." It was a statement not a question.

"Very much, I've known Priscilla since I was twelve, she's practically my sister." Aimee said as they gathered some food and headed to a table to sit down.

"And what of your other friend?" Almair asked and he could not help to notice the slightly dreamy look she got in her eyes.

"Tarrant, we met him with the goblins before we entered the labyrinth. He has become very dear to me since we started this crazy quest." Aimee said happily and sadly at the same time. She was so worried for him and with good reason. "I don't know what I'll do if anything happens to them."

"You love him." Another statement.

"Yes." Aimee answered immediately. Almair nodded solemnly and they continued to eat in silence. This went unnoticed by Aimee.

"So what other countries surround the underground?" Aimee asked in order to break the silence.

"Well the underground is the center of this continent. To the north is the O.Z. or outer zone; to the south west is Underland, and to the south east is the land of Fantasia." Almair listed as Aimee's eyes widened in amazement. All of those stories she had grew up reading and watching were true.

"Wait, you said this continent as in there are more?" Aimee asked.

"Yes. There is Neverland, Narnia, and The Nine Kingdoms." Almair explained.

"No way." Aimee said in shock, then noticed Almair's confused look. "Oh, sorry. You see where I come from all of these places are just fairytales."

Aimee went on to further explain her worlds view on their world.

"So if there are all of these surrounded by all of these allies why don't they help defeat Fanyr?" Aimee asked.

"The magic that binds this world together does not allow for such things for fear of a world war. Such things have the ability to bring a world to its knees. We do have some volunteers from other countries, but as a whole a leader of another country cannot send troops. We each have champions to safe guard us as you know from both our world and yours." Almair explained.

Aimee nodded her understanding. She knew all too well the effects of world war. It had and was still devastating her own world. But the Labyrinth and Underland already have champions. What happened to Alice and Sarah? And what of the other champions for the other continents?

"So this is where you got off to?" Jareth said interrupting her thoughts as he joined them followed by Hoggle.

"I was hungry." Aimee answered deciding to save those questions for another day.

"Well I think we should go over what we are going to do when we get into the castle." Hoggle said.

"Once we get in a small group of our allies to set of charges around the castle making openings for the brunt of our forces to come in through while Aimee and I search the castle for Priscilla and Tarrant." Jareth stated.

"And how are we going to find them? Fanyr must have changed the castle up quite a bit. I doubt it's anything like you remember." Aimee said.

"The labyrinth will guide me to where we need to go." Jareth replied.

"The labyrinth will guide us?" Aimee said skeptically.

"Of course. How do you think Priscilla was able to navigate the labyrinth so well? It was guiding her." Jareth replied.

"The labyrinth spoke to an above worlder?" Said an amazed Hoggle.

"What? Is that a big deal?" Aimee asked.

"Yes." Was all Jareth said. "Back to the matter on hand. Under no circumstances is anyone other than myself allowed to engage Fanyr in battle. Is that understood?"Everybody in the room nodded their heads respectfully except for Aimee. Jareth gave her a pointed look which Aimee returned.

"Don't look at me like that. If I see Fanyr I will not hesitate attack him." Aimee said with a glare.

"Aimee you don't have the power to engage him in battle." Jareth argued as the rest of the group watched. They had never seen anyone challenge Jareth.

"Oh, and you do?" Aimee bit back as their glares heated up. "I am not some weak little girl who needs to be protected. I am strong and I will not let Fanyr go unpunished for what he did to these people, what he took from us and god help him if he has in any way hurt Tarrant or Priscilla."

Jareth eyed her for a moment then nodded.

"Fine, Almair do you have the map?" Jareth asked as Almair reached into a satchel looped on a nearby chair he rolled the map out on the table Jareth started directing the goblins and fey toward the safest paths in the city.

While the others were planning Hoggle took Aimee aside and held out a small leather book to her.

"What's this?" Aimee asked.

"This is a special book. Now that I see your powers have grown I think this could be very useful to you. It shows you the picture of any plant that you might need in any situation and shows you what any plant you encounter is." Hoggle explained.

"Thank you Hoggle." Aimee said as she pulled him into a hug.

"Yeah, yeah now let's help the others plan." With that they returned to the table as Aimee pocketed her new book.


	48. Prisoner of the Mind

Priscilla sat complacently at her vanity in her room as short dark female creatures that looked like porcelain gothic dolls did her hair, jewelry, and make-up. She was already wearing a black evening dress that they had put on her earlier. On the inside was a completely different story. She was mad as heck.

Just when the creatures were done there was a knock on her door. One of the creatures opened it to reveal Fanyr in all his vain glory. He walked lightly over to Priscilla and kissed the side of her neck. Priscilla could feel herself wanting to retch, but her face stayed stoic.

"My, don't you look ravishing. Stand up so I can have a proper view of you." Priscilla stood up against her will as Fanyr gave her a lecherous look over. "Simply beautiful, you will make a wonderful queen and when all of this is over a beautiful bride as well."

He pulled her into a deep kiss as Priscilla screamed in fury on the inside.


	49. What is She to You

A few hours later Jareth sighed he leaned back in his chair they had the battle plans ready now they just had to get the armor prepared and check the weapons status. Aimee was supplying them with weaponry ideas and battle strategies and when asked where she acquired such knowledge she told them about her brother's love of historical battles.

He had since retired to the meeting room where he was now staring blankly at the table. Ever since Priscilla was kidnapped he often found himself staring off into space thinking about her, but his thoughts were interrupted by a knock at the door.

"Come in." He said as Almair entered the room holding a tray heaped with food. He momentarily looked at Jareth and plopped the tray in front of him.

"I have noticed you haven't been eating, you need your strength." He nudged the tray towards Jareth. Jareth sighed exasperatedly as he picked half heartedly at his tray of food.

"Tell me what this girl is to you?" Almair questioned.

"What girl?" Jareth said evading his question. Almair leaned back and looked at him expectantly.

"The girl that can be guided by the labyrinth." Almair replied.

"Who are you to question a king?" Jareth drawled as he pinned Almair with an icy stare, but it seemed to have no effect on him.

"I am your oldest friend and your closest advisor." he said seriously. Jareth looked at him for a second longer then sighed in frustration, and answered.

"She is my…" Jareth trailed off but Almair understood from the way Jareth had been acting recently. He could see that the mortal had changed him.

"Do you know why the labyrinth guides her? It is rather strange. I have never heard of it happening before." Almair said.

"It is rather unusual. It seems like it has taken a liking to Priscilla. Her presence in the Labyrinth has caused quite a stir in the Labyrinths conscious. I wondered at first if she….." There was a rapid knock at the door and Jareth and Almair turned to find a small fey with disheveled curly red hair and intelligent brown eyes that had striking gold flecks in them, but they were covered by round gold framed spectacles. He was rather young looking. He had boyish round cheeks and a slight heavy set jaw. His clothes were in absolute disarray.

"Yes, David?" said Almair.

"Ummm…I…uh heard that we were to attack the castle soon and I was wondering if you would….uh need my assistance for spells and such. I apologize for being late to the meeting I was attending to the injured." David said in a rush.

"It's quite alright I understand." Almair said kindly.

"We will need some of your explosives for passages." said Jareth. David's curious eyes popped open disbelievingly as they settled on Jareth.

"Your Highness!" David started to bow repeatedly.

"Be still!" Jareth said exasperatedly causing the little fey to stop mid bow. "Now stand up correctly." David straightened himself up. Jareth studied David's face.

"You were human once, weren't you? You still have traces of human features." Jareth said.

"Yes….. I was human once. I was one of the children wished away….. Thank you for placing me with parents that wanted me. I have always wanted t-t-to th-an-k …." David trailed off Jareth's eyes softened a bit.

"How does it go with your fey parents?" Jareth asked.

What most people didn't know was that the children that died or had gone missing in our world stay in the fae realm and are adopted by fae families. Wishing them away is only one of the ways a child is sent to the underground and that is the only time someone is allowed to run the labyrinth for said child.

"They have fled. They were smuggled into one of the surrounding kingdoms. I stayed to help with the resistance" David explained. Jareth nodded in understanding and after a brief silence continued.

"You should get to work on those explosives." Jareth said.

"Yes sir." David said as he bowed out of the room.


	50. Tarrant in a Cell

Tarrant sat in the dark dank cell cursing his inability to help Priscilla and worrying over Aimee's safety at the same time. He winced as another shot of pain shot up his leg. One of his tormentors had hurt it pretty bad. They didn't even ask him any questions; they just beat him for the sake of beating him.

He reached into his pocket and pulled out one of the daisies Aimee had put on his hat. His hat had been taken by one of the guards, and the daisy that he was holding now had fallen off of it. It had been stuck in the sash of his hat. It didn't show any signs of fading, but then again why should it. It was a magic flower after all and not fragile like regular flowers.

'I wonder what my bonnie lass is up to right now.' Tarrant pondered, and then his thoughts took a darker course. 'I wonder if I will ever see her again.'

He pictured her smiling face, beautiful green eyes that lit up with such enthusiasm, and her infectious laughter. If only he could hold her again. Kiss her one more time and tell her how much he loved her.

'No I can't think like that. I will see her again.' He thought as his eyes lit up with determination.


	51. I Have to Tell Him

Aimee knocked hesitantly on the entrance to the meeting room. Almair had told her that that was where Jareth was. She was having trouble figuring out how to tell him about her dream.

"Come in." Said a rather tired sounding Jareth. Aimee took a deep breath and entered and closed the door behind her. Her hands were shaking with restraint as she tried to hold back her tears.

"Hey Jareth." Aimee said shakily, but not being able to hold it in anymore burst into tears and crumpled to the ground in a heap. Her body was wracked with sobs. She had been holding this back all day and it showed. Jareth had seen the strain on her face and he had assumed it was because of Priscilla and Tarrant's kidnapping. "I'm so sorry. I should have told you sooner."

"Aimee, what's wrong? What should you have told me?"" Jareth asked in alarm as he ran over to her side. He bent down and helped her up. He led her to one of the chairs and took a seat across from her. "Aimee what has happened?"

Aimee took a steadying breath and told him about her dream. They sat in silence for a long while before Jareth reacted to Aimee's revelation. He slammed his hands on the desk with great force causing Aimee to startle slightly. He glared down at the table in another period of silence.

"Jareth, what did he do to her? Maybe we can reverse it." Aimee said.

"Ingratiismei is the only potion I can think of that he would use. It forces the drinker to submit to the control of another while they are still aware they are being controlled." Jareth said.

"She's a prisoner in her own mind." Aimee said in shock. "How do we snap her out of it?"

"As far as I know there is no way to counter the potion." Said Jareth in a defeated voice. Aimee started at him opened mouth.

"No, there has to be something we can do. Come on think. Another potion, a special herb, or …" Aimee ranted on until Jareth stood suddenly and slammed his hand on the desk again cutting her off.

"Don't you think that I would know if there was anything I could do. I would go the ends of the world and back for her. I would gladly give my life to save hers. I would…" Jareth yelled as he gripped Priscilla's necklace before he tapered off as he fell back into the chair.

Aimee started at him for some time as he sat there staring blankly at the wall opposite of him. Aimee reached over and gripped his hand making him look at her.

"We will find a way." Aimee said firmly and without saying it, reminded him that Priscilla was as dear to her as she was to him. "Come on. We should help with the battle preparations."

Jareth nodded as he stood and helped Aimee to her feet then to Aimee's surprise he pulled her into a hug.

"Thank you." He whispered before he let her go.

"What are friends for?" Aimee said with a smile.


	52. Chapter 52

Hoggle and Almair sat on a bench together as they watched the preparations for the upcoming battle.

"He's changed." Hoggle commented.

"Yes he has." Almair replied knowing that Hoggle was talking about Jareth.

"I've never seen him so concerned about someone other than himself." Hoggle said.

"It's the girl. She has broken the ice that encased his heart, so now the most available bachelor in the entire goblin kingdom has given his heart away. It makes me wonder what kind of woman she is….. " said Almair chuckling lightly at the thought of Jareth being in love. Almair's mind momentarily flitted to Aimee. "Such a shame…"

"What's a shame?" said Hoggle curiously.

"Nothing. It's just…" Almair paused.

"Just what?" Hoggle questioned further.

"I find myself drawn to Aimee. She has such a youthful kindness yet she is by no means a push over. Among all of this darkness, she still smiles and takes time to lift everyone else's spirits. She is very strong willed, the way she challenged Jareth and won proves that." Almair said with a light smile, but then his smile faded. "Unfortunately she has already given her heart to another."

"Who?" Hoggle asked.

"Tarrant Hightopp, the Mad Hatter." Almair said unhappily as Hoggle laughed.

"She has strange taste, but then again, she isn't exactly normal herself." Hoggle said. "Just a while ago I saw her hanging upside down from the rafters and flipping around like clown just to make the kids laugh."

Almair chuckled lightly then it turned into full blown laughter as he imagined Hoggle's words.

"She seems to care about the children." Almair said.

Almair and Hoggle were so engrossed in their conversation they did not notice Aimee behind them whispering to a small group of kids or when one of those kids creeped up behind them and went under the bench. The small child had a rope that he lightly tied around their ankles. Then Aimee motioned for a little girl she had met earlier to walk over to them.

The little girl walked a little ways in front of them and started to cry quite loudly. Almair and Hoggle stood up at the same time and moved to go to the girl only to trip over their own entwined feet and fall flat on their faces.

They groaned lightly as they sat up only to see the once crying girl laughing along with a group of children behind them and Aimee. Almair quickly untied his leg from Hoggle's and ran after the group of children and Aimee.

As they ran down the tunnel they came to a fork. Aimee turned right as the kids turned left and to Aimee's surprise Almair followed her.

'_Oh crap, not good.' _Aimee panicked and ran faster the tunnel started to get dimmer and she started freaking out even more. She didn't particularly like being chased.

Then she suddenly tripped on something and went flying. Thinking quickly she caused some grass to grow in order to cushion her fall, but even with the grass it still hurt a little when she landed. She groaned and turned over on her back.

'_Darn gravity.' _Aimee thought. _'Always making me fall.'_

Almair who was running right behind her was about to trip over the rock Aimee had tripped over earlier.

"Watch out!" Aimee called but it was too late. Almair tripped and toppled on top of her.

"Ow ow ow owwww!" Aimee said as Almair groaned and then she noticed how close Almair was to her. He was propped up on his elbows as he looked down at her. Aimee, who didn't like being this close to people unless she allowed it, stiffened up.

"Are you okay?" Almair asked quietly.

"mmm-hmm." Aimee mumbled still tense. "Ummm… could you get off of me?"

"Oh, of course, I'm so sorry." Almair said as he helped her up by her hand. He held her hand tenderly as he looked into her eyes and started to lean forward.

'_What is he doing?' _Aimee thought as she leaned her head back away from Almair.

'_I think he is going to kiss you.' _Zora said.

Aimee quickly put her hand to his lips, stopping him right before he kissed her.

"Almair, I …" Aimee didn't know what to say.

Almair quickly let go of her hand and backed away. He looked like he was about to say something, but instead quickly walked away. Aimee quickly went in the opposite direction to find Jareth.

'_That was weird.' _Aimee thought.


	53. Chemical Warfare

Jareth strolled down the roughly cut tunnel he was on his way to inspect the alchemists weapons he came upon the door that led to the little alchemists lab. He was just about to open the door when Aimee came up with a troubled and distracted look on her face.

"What's wrong with you?" Jareth asked. Aimee was just about to answer when a loud explosion went off behind the door.

The door burst open and a cloud of smoke bellowed out. Then David came stumbling out. You could see that his eyebrows had been singed as had the rest of him and he was still smoking. He coughed loudly to clear the smoke from his lungs.

"Are you ok?" Aimee asked. David's head snapped up and his eyes widened upon seeing Jareth.

"Your majesty." David said in a startled voice.

"What happened?" Jareth questioned.

"Just a s- s-slight miscalculation on my part" he coughed nervously. Aimee, as kind as she was, tried unsuccessfully to stifle a laugh. This caught David's attention. "I don't believe we have met. I'm David."

"Aimee Knight." Aimee replied with a smile as she shook his hand.

"I'm here to inspect the weapon potions." Jareth said with a light smirk.

"Yes, yes come in." he waved them into his still smoking prepatory room.

"Everything in this room is extremely dangerous so, please, no touching." David warned.

Jareth turned around and pointedly looked at Aimee who was eyeing a nearby vial that had an array of colors. Aimee smiled sheepishly and stuck her hands in her pockets. Jareth then turned back to David and motioned for him to continue.

"This is a very useful yet small weapon." David said while holding up a clear glass orb the size of a marble with some sort of silvery, shimmering substance inside. "This is ground up glass that when thrown into your enemies face will be breathed in. It causes great internal damage."

David carefully sat the glass down and reached for another one filled with green gas.

"This one is good for melting through locks and chains. It is also very painful to get on one skin. No matter how tough their hide is this will melt straight through." He pointed to a variety of gas filled glasses that did everything from put the enemy to sleep or cause great explosions. Some were filled with exotic poisons as well.

"Wow. This is really cool." Aimee commented.

"Thank you." David said with a smile then moved on to something that looked like firecrackers.

"These giant firecrackers wrapped in paper and filled with lime and Sulpher. They cause a person's vision teary and burn their lungs." David said "I am very proud of this. It's so new I haven't even named it yet. This is a mixture of Sulpher-, petroleum- and bitumen." David said as he held up a sealed clay pot.

Before he could continue Aimee interrupted.

"Greek fire." Aimee exclaimed and went on when everyone gave her a confused look. "Greek fire was an incendiary weapon used by the Byzantine Empire in my worlds past. The Byzantines typically used it in naval battles to great effect as it could continue burning even under water."

"That right. Water only feeds the fire and makes it bigger. I also have bitumen and Sulpher crystals. When ignited, these materials give off dense clouds of choking gases." He said holding up a small leather pouch.

"Can I make a suggestion on the Greek fire?" Aimee asked suddenly.

"Sure." David replied. Aimee took a piece of paper and started to write down a slightly altered version of Greek fire.

"In my world the Chinese realized the full potential of fire-weapons by marrying a 'Greek Fire'-like recipe with their own invention of the double-action bellows. They made a flamethrower that could produce a more powerful and uninterrupted stream of fire. The simplest of these was known as the 'fire-lance'. It was a bamboo tube stuffed with a petroleum-based paste and firmly tied to the end of a lance-pole. When lit a jet of flame shot several feet out from the end and burned for nearly five minutes, although once lit it can't be put out easily." Aimee explained as she wrote. Looking up she noticed everyone's shocked faces and was a little offended. "I'm not just another pretty face you know. As shocking as it is."

Everyone quickly shook their heads and came out of their shock as Aimee sent a silent prayer of thanks for the invention of the history channel. They then started production on these new weapons.


	54. It Has Begun

Priscilla sauntered into the throne room and curtsied lightly before Fanyr who was draped casually over his throne.

"Any luck with the prisoner?" He asked.

"He's stubborn." Priscilla said in slight frustration.

"You're too soft." He said as he beckoned her closer to him.

She walked up the steps and gave sign of outward resistance when he pulled her into his lap. He nuzzled into her neck and placed light kisses along her jaw line. He was so preoccupied with what he was doing that he luckily didn't see the tear sliding down her cheek.

Fanyr didn't know this, but Priscilla's will was far stronger than any potion could control forever and her love for her friends and Jareth was just as powerful.

'_No one controls me. I will break this curse.' _Priscilla thought fiercely. Just then a soldier burst into the throne room causing Fanyr to stand up along with Priscilla.

"We are under attack." He yelled.

"WHAT? By who?" Yelled Fanyr. He thought he had effectively smashed any hope of an uprising when he stole the crystal back and left Jareth as weak as a kitten. Plus he had one of the two destined humans that would have saved the Labyrinth if it wasn't for him capturing her.

"A resistance has formed around the castle and are setting off explosions at the four main gates. They are pouring into the city." The soldier replied.

"Well stop them. Do what you must, but don't let them reach this castle." Fanyr ordered and the soldier quickly disappeared to take care of his orders.

'_They must be trying to reclaim Priscilla, but they will not reach her.' _Fanyr thought.


	55. Tarrant and Aimee Reunited

It was time. A small army stood at the entrance of the tunnel leading to the castle. The rest of the army had taken up positions around the castle and stayed hidden until the appointed time to attack.

The main army was split into four platoons that would be attacking the gates that were on all four sides of the city and then push forward to the castle.

Aimee, Zora, Jareth, and Almair led the way down the tunnel. Aimee produced floating green flames to light their way. They had been walking for quite a while when they came to a sudden dead end and had to stop.

"Now what?" Asked one of the troops in the back.

"Where should this tunnel let out?" Asked Jareth.

"We are not completely sure." Said Almair. Aimee walked forward and placed her hand against the dead end. She closed her eyes and then they suddenly snapped open.

"It's the dungeon." Aimee said.

"How do you know that?" Asked Jareth.

"I can sense the vibrations that travel through the earth. It's kind of like what bats do with echo-location. Zora just taught it to me." Aimee said. "Now stand back. I'm going to open this wall up. FYI: There are at least six guards and fifteen prisoners, so be ready."

Aimee thrust her fists together, forward, then apart. The wall followed suit by splitting apart. They rushed in and quickly took care of the guards and started to go to each cell to release the prisoners within. Aimee was especially aggressive with a guard that was wearing Tarrant's hat. By the end of it he was nothing, but ash.

Aimee snatched up Tarrant's hat from the ground and ran to each cell desperately searching for Tarrant. She came to the last cell and slashed the lock off with one of her swords. She ran inside only to find it seemingly empty, but slight movement to her right caught her eye. She lit a floating flame then nearly screamed in joy and fright.

She rushed over to Tarrant who was lying in a crumpled heap against the wall. He seemed to be unconscious. She gently gathered him into her arms as she brushed aside some of his hair from his bruised and bloodied face.

"Tarrant, wake up. I'm here to save you." Aimee said as tears streamed down her cheeks. A few fell on Tarrant.

"Aimee." Aimee's eyes snapped up at the sound of Tarrant's strained voice.

He lightly placed his hand against her cheek and Aimee automatically leaned into his touch.

"I knew you'd come." He said.

"Of course I came. I love you, Tarrant." Aimee replied. He smiled lightly then fell back into a half conscious state. "Jareth, in here."

Jareth and Almair rushed into the cell and knelt down next to Aimee.

"He's hurt really bad. Is there any kind of plant that you think of that can heal him?" Aimee asked desperately.

"I can't think of any and even if I could I have no way to show you." He said then Aimee remembered the little book Hoggle had given her.

She took it out and there on the first page a drawing started to appear. Once it was done it revealed a plant with small purple flowers called the moiley flower. Aimee quickly grew the plant and did as the instructions said.

"Tarrant, I need you to wake up." Tarrant's eyes fluttered open once again. "Here, suck on this; it will make you feel better."

Tarrant did as he was told and took the plant from Aimee's fingers, his lips lightly brushing against her fingertips. Aimee watched in amazement as his cuts turned into scares and the bruises on his face faded away slightly as he sat up cautiously just as the medic ran in.

"How do you feel?" Aimee asked. Tarrant pulled her into an amazing kiss.

"Much better." He replied with a smile then he turned serious. "He's controlling Priscilla somehow."

"We know." Aimee explained about her dream to Tarrant.

"Do you know where she is?" Jareth asked desperately.

"No I don't, but if we start now I'm sure we will find her." Tarrant started to stand to his feet, but couldn't make it. He was still weak from the torture he had endured. The moiley flower had only done so much for him.

"You're not fit to go anywhere." The medic said. "You need to stay put for now."

"I'll be fine." Tarrant said as he tried to stand to his feet again, but was gently pushed back down by a concerned Aimee.

"No Tarrant. You need to stay here if the doctor says so." Aimee said seriously.

"But…" Tarrant started, but one look into Aimee's worried yet determined eyes changed his mind. "Ok. I will stay if it makes you happy."

Aimee picked up Tarrant's hat, dusted it off and placed it on his head.

"I think you lost this." Aimee said.

Tarrant smiled then pulled her into hug and kiss before reluctantly letting her get up.

"Come on Aimee, we have to go." Jareth said. Tarrant make eye contact with Jareth sending him a silent message to watch over Aimee. Jareth nodded swiftly as he left.

"I love you so much Tarrant Hightopp." Aimee said as she left the room, not noticing Almair standing in the corner. He was to stay behind and watch over the prisoners until they got them out then he was to join the rest in battle. When Aimee was out of the door Almair approached Tarrant.

"Aimee is an amazing woman. You are a lucky man Tarrant Hightopp." Almair said bringing Tarrant's attention to himself.

"Aye, my bonnie lass is one of a kind." Tarrant replied while eyeing the man he had never met before. "You have the advantage over me sir. You know who I am, but I do not know you."

"My name is Almair, King Jareth's top advisor." Almair stated with a slight bow.

"And how did you come to meet my lass?" Tarrant asked suspiciously. He did not dislike this man, but Tarrant had a feeling that Almair's feelings toward Aimee were more than just friends.

"We met in the junkyard. She and Jareth came upon my patrolling unit. She was quite spectacular in defending herself and then when she came back to our headquarters, the way she interacted with the children was quite loving." he replied with a smile. Almair couldn't help, but notice that Hatter's eyes had become slightly orange around his irises.

"And just what are your intentions towards my bonnie lass?" Tarrant asked in his Scottish brogue.

"I will not lie to you Tarrant. She is quite an extraordinary girl and I find myself deeply attracted to her." Almair held up a hand before a furious Tarrant could interrupt. "But she only has eyes for you and I would never try to change that. I don't think you will ever have to worry about losing her to anyone."

Tarrant looked Almair in the eyes for a moment before nodding slightly. Just then David came in from taking care of the other prisoners and started to finish healing Tarrant.


	56. The Seige

"What part of "stay put" is confusing to you?" Jareth asked when he noticed Aimee right behind him. He had told her earlier that she should stay in the dungeon, that it would be safer for her. He should have known she was not going to listen.

"The "put" part. I wasn't "put" in the first place, Jareth. The whole expression is a complete disaster." Aimee answered.

"Fine, just stay alert and be careful." Jareth said.

Aimee and Jareth ran down the hall towards the throne room and were soon set upon by the guards. Not all of them had gone to the main battle outside. Aimee turned around and started running backwards at the same time she cupped her hands in front of her mouth and blew.

A mist of purple and red seeds flowed down the corridor landing lightly on the ground. Several purple-red thorn bearing vines grew and blocked their paths. Aimee then did a spiral back flip to face forward again only to see another group of soldiers running at them. She blew another flurry of seeds that were green and blue at them that dragged them clawing and screaming into the ground.

"We're nearly there." Jareth yelled as they turned a corner. Aimee ran behind Jareth as they tore around the corner. She momentarily glanced at the city below through one of the large castle windows.

The rest of the resistance was gathered at the city gates and there was a series of large echoing explosions they had broken through the gates. The resistance was successfully fending off an army of armored teragons that were swooping down and picking up fey soldiers then letting them plummet to the ground. They shot flaming arrows and Chinese flame throwers at them.

The resistance poured into the city were they met and clashed with Fanyr's ground troops there were more explosions as the fey let loose more potions and the clashing of metal weapons filled the air. Aimee silently prayed that they would get through this battle with little losses. They continued running down the corridor Jareth was still running ahead of her.

"Duck!" Jareth yelled.

Aimee immediately fell to the ground and rolled back to her feet in a crouching position as a blue flame shot above her exactly where her head had been a minute ago. She jumped up and shot flames into the dark corridor. There was a blue flicker further down the corridor and then something burst into blue flames at the end of the dark hall. The flames started to form humanoid shapes. Then, whatever was down the dark corridor started to hiss and run in their direction.

"It's fire salamanders!" Jareth said. Aimee changed tactics, seeing that fire would have to effect on them, and through chunks of earth at them as Jareth flung black orbs that had a blue sheen at the flames that seemed to be multiplying in number until there were ten in total left over from Jareth and Aimee's attack.

"Keep going, I'll hold them off and meet up with you later." Aimee said but Jareth wasn't moving.

"Go now." Aimee yelled as she punched her fist into the ground and pulled it out then thrust it forward. In the hole that was left behind vines started to grow and purple blossoms bloomed. They slithered quickly towards the lizards. When three of the fire lizards came close to it, it fired three small yellow spikes that instantly killed them and Aimee said a silent thanks to the creators of Jamanji. Jareth took the opportunity to run past them and on to the throne room.

The other lizards set the plants on fire, destroying them. Aimee then started to spin and cast up a flurry of razor sharp golden leaves that sliced down three more. One of them grabbed her from behind, his claws digging into her arms drawing blood. She gasped in pain as his grip tightened and its flames surrounded her.

The fact that she was not incinerated by their inflamed bodies seemed to surprise them. Aimee used this to her advantage and broke free of the lizards grip by surprising it with a flash of her own fire and lightning. Aimee then through more seeds at them that grew into constrictor vine that wrapped around the enemy. They tried to burn them off, but these plants were fire proof, in fact, fire made them grow stronger and faster. With one gesture from Aimee the plants tightened until the salamanders were crushed to death in their viney cocoons.

Ignoring the pain in her arms Aimee continued running down the corridor Jareth had taken and it was not long before she found herself before a set of giant oak doors. From the sound of it utter chaos had broken out behind them. Aimee tried to open the doors, but they were locked.

'_Not a problem.' _Thought Aimee as she reached into her pocket and pulled out a medium sized packet and set it on fire, then she dropped it by the doors and ran back around the corridor. She crouched down and covered her ears.


	57. Fighting Fanyr

Jareth ran down the corridor at a blinding speed and straight into the throne room. The doors slammed shut behind him and he could hear it locking. Before him sat Fanyr on his throne and in his lap was a rather scantily dressed Priscilla.

"Welcome home little brother." Fanyr drawled out with a spiteful grin as he stood up along with Priscilla.

"Let her go Fanyr. This is between you and me. She has nothing to do with this." Jareth said. Fanyr laughed maliciously as he pulled Priscilla close to himself.

"She has everything to do with this." Fanyr said with a gesture of his hand. "You didn't think I knew about the prophecy, that two human girls were the only hope you had to defeat me and now look. One of those very humans is now mine."

"She will never be yours." Jareth said through clenched teeth.

"That's right; you think she still loves you. Well won't you be surprised." Fanyr said. "Priscilla, my love, why don't you take care of our little pest."

"As you wish." Priscilla said in an emotionless voice, but on the inside she screamed out in fear and frustration.

"_No, please, not this." _Priscilla didn't think she could stand it if she hurt Jareth.

Priscilla drew out a black whip and a long jagged dagger. She drew the whip back and slashed Jareth across his face before he could duck. A thin ribbon of blood trailed down his face.

"Priscilla, snap out of this. You are stronger than this." Jareth could tell just by looking into her eyes that she was struggling against the potion.

"It is no use, she's mine." Fanyr smiled as he watched the deadly dance unfold before him. Jareth ducked and dodged as best he could while trying to help her break Fanyr's hold over her.

Priscilla cracked the whip and managed to back Jareth into a corner. She lifted her blade and was about to throw. Jareth had nowhere to run.

'_NO!' _Priscilla shouted in her head and to her surprise her body obeyed her command. She froze in mid throw and Jareth could see her fighting the potions hold on her.

"Priscilla, finish him." Fanyr said in a dangerous tone.

Then Jareth was struck with an idea. Thinking fast he dodged around Priscilla while taking off Aeryck. He came up right in front of her and before she could react he put Aeryck around her neck while kissing her.

A sharp pain flared throughout his body. He stumbled backward and looked down. Protruding out of his stomach was Priscilla's dagger. Looking up he saw Priscilla's eyes had cleared and were filled with horror at what she had done as he fell to the ground. In one brief moment she had lost control again.

"You've done well my dear." Fanyr said with a smirk.

"I'm not your dear anything." Priscilla said in a burst of fury. She was instantly covered in a silvery gold mist and when it disbursed she was once again in her familiar outfit. Before Fanyr could react, the doors to the throne room burst in an explosion.

"Honey, I'm home." Aimee said with a smile that promptly disappeared when she saw Jareth on the ground in an ever growing pool of blood. Aimee ran to his side and knelt down. Looking up she saw the deep regret and shock in Priscilla's eyes. She knew Jareth had broken the spell on her somehow.

"Aimee, What the heck are you doing here?" Priscilla asked in shock.

"I should ask you the same question." Aimee countered as she checked Jareth wound.

"I was kidnapped and taken here against my will!" Priscilla answered. Aimee paused for a moment.

"I should ask you a different question." Aimee said. "Priscilla, you need to heal him. I'll hold of the paranoid schizophrenic psychopath." Priscilla nodded and knelt down next to Jareth.

"Do you honestly think you can defeat me?" Fanyr said with a laugh.

"Yes, yes I do, so you better make peace with your dear and fluffy lord, cause I play for keeps." Aimee said and unleashed a volley of fire balls at him. Fanyr dodged them and through orbs of blood red and black orbs at Aimee who quickly evaded them by jumping up on to the rafters. The exchange lasted for a while before they paused for a moment.

"And I'm supposed to believe, from that pathetic demonstration that you're going to beat me or something, if you were any sort of threat I wouldn't be cleaning your clock right now." Fanyr sneered.

"Cleaning my clock, what's that suppose to even mean. What you take time out of your day to clean another person's timepiece and if so that would be a bad thing? No I'd be gracious, I'd be like, dude, Fanyr, thanks for spritzing my watch." Aimee said back. This just made Fanyr even angrier which he showed by growling.

'_So that's the kink in his armor. Maybe if I make him angry enough he will get sloppy.' _Aimee thought as she dodged more of his attacks.

"Your methods are stupid; your progress has been stupid; your intelligence is stupid!" Aimee taunted as she dodged another attack. "You couldn't hit the broadside of space."

Fanyr roared in anger as he increased his attacks.

"Missed me, missed me now you gotta…" Aimee paused for a moment. "Never mind, I don't think I want to finish that sentence."

Fanyr put his hands together and threw a giant orb at Aimee. Aimee jumped back to the ground then she cast up a wall of earth and vines and the punched out pieces of the wall. One of the huge chunks on earth hit Fanyr in the chest knocking the wind out of him, while the orb destroyed Aimee's earth wall.

"If that is the best you've got then I have nothing to worry about." Fanyr said with a smile.

"Well won't you be surprised then." Aimee said as she punched her fist into the ground. Then growing rapidly vine spread out in all directions turning the throne room into a botanical garden.

"This is your best." Fanyr laughed not noticing the giant flower about to bloom behind him. It bloomed into a super sized yellow and pink spotted Venus fly trap that promptly swallowed Fanyr whole.

"No, but it'll do for now I believe." Aimee replied then ran over to Priscilla who was still trying to wake Jareth up. His wound was completely healed. "That won't hold him for long."

"He needs his crystal. Until he has it he will stay like this." Priscilla said with tears in her eyes.

"Priscilla, I have a question."Aimee said.

"What?"Priscilla asked.

"Why isn't he using Jareth's crystal?"Aimee asked.

"He can't. The crystal is too pure for his evil."Priscilla answered.

"How do you know that?"Aimee asked not expecting Priscilla to know the answer.

"I was always aware of what was going on around me, just not in control of myself."Priscilla answered.

"That stinks."Aimee replied.

"We need that crystal. He keeps it shrunk around his neck." Priscilla said.

"Then let's get it back." Aimee said. At that time there was a roar of anger and Aimee's fly trap exploded to reveal a plant goo covered Fanyr, who looked supremely irked. "Ew."

Fanyr roared in anger again and the doubled over then straightened suddenly. Bursting out of his back were a pair of enormous black dragon wings, his hands changed into claws, his fangs grew longer, a spiked tail grew out of his lower back, and a pair of horns grew out of the top of his head.

"I don't get a lot of chances to show my power so I have a proposal for you. You can fight and all of you will die, or you can surrender in which case only most of you will die." Fanyr said. "I believe I am being overly generous so I suggest you take my kind offer."

"We will never surrender. Good will always triumph over evil because evil is dumb." Aimee yelled.

"Seriously?" Priscilla said to Aimee who just shrugged with a smile.

"Priscilla my love, this is your last chance you choose me and you will eventually reign as Queen of Lapidus or do you need a stronger dose of that potion." Fanyr purred. Priscilla glared at Fanyr and clenched her fists.

"Let me give you a taste of your own medicine." Priscilla said in a cold calm voice.

Then she thrust her arms to her sides and then brought them up in front of her like a prayer, she raised her right hand slowly in a vertical motion then sliced down slowly, she started to move them in a pulling motion towards her body. Fanyr laughed at Priscilla's elegant motions.

"Are you dancing for me now?" he said.

"No, but you're gonna dance for me. Only someone as despicable as you warrants this punishment. " Priscilla said.

"What are you gonna do dance me to dea- th." Fanyr choked as his eyes widened.

Fanyr's knees buckled then, against his will, he kneeled on the ground before them. Priscilla forced him down with a thrust of her hand until he was bowing before them with his hands stretched out on the ground. Anger and fury flooded throughout Fanyr at being made to bow before anyone.

"How does it feel to have the will of another forced upon you? HOW DOES IT FEEL?" Priscilla demanded. Aimee could practically see the anger emanating from Priscilla. She started to fear Priscilla might take it too far.

"Priscilla, as much as I'd like to see you boil him from the inside out, make him slit his own throat, crush a few internal organs, put a squeeze on his heart till it burst, or… what was getting at? Oh yeah, I don't think you should have his blood on your hands. He's not worth it." Aimee said. Priscilla continued to glare at him and Aimee was worried she wasn't going to listen to her.

"Fine, let's get the crystal from his neck." Aimee walked up to Fanyr and Priscilla made his head lift so Aimee could get to the crystal, but as she started to reach for it Fanyr stated to laugh. It was a deep sinister laugh that sent chills up and down your spine.

Aimee jerked her hands back as a green, black, and red smoke started to surround Fanyr. His laughter grew louder and louder as the cloud of smoke grew larger.

"Did you honestly think that it would be so easy to defeat me?" The smoke cleared in a sudden burst of flame that Priscilla and Aimee barley dodged.

Fanyr had transformed into a full dragon and was now to large for Priscilla to control. He was covered in black green scaled, had a tapered muzzle, long black horns, large pointed ears, black spikes that trailed down his back that ended at the end of his spiked tail, and a pair of large spike tipped wings. His eyes remained the same and large white fangs peaked out from his mouth. Jareth's crystal remained around his neck.

"Grandma, what large teeth you have." Aimee said.

Fanyr let out a roar that shook the very foundation of the castle then with one flap of his wings Fanyr broke through the roof of the castle causing pieces of ceiling to rain down. Priscilla threw herself over Jareth to protect him from the debris while Aimee cast up wall of earth to shield them.

"This is not good." Priscilla said.


	58. Battle

The ground troops poured into the goblin city with vengeance. They battled with miniatures, teragons, fire salamanders, and all sorts of other nightmarish creatures. The battle was bloody and no one could tell who was winning.

All of the sudden a loud roar deafened the roar of the battle. An explosion of the highest tower of the castle drew everyone's attention. A great dragon was the cause of this. It soared around the castle letting out roars as loud as thunder.

The evil creatures gave a triumphant cheer and resumed the battle with new vigor.


	59. Now the Real Fight

"Now what?" Asked Aimee.

"Now we fight for real." Priscilla replied as she dragged Jareth to a safe corner of the room. She spread her wings and shot into the air after Fanyr. Aimee leapt from debris piece to debris piece until she was on top of the roof.

Priscilla and Fanyr were already locked in battle. Fanyr shot dark blue flames at Priscilla who deflected them with her water bending. Fanyr shot another stream of flames that hit Priscilla in the side. She choked back the pain and continued the fight. While Fanyr's back was turned Aimee snuck up behind him as he clung to the tower with his claws.

'_Great, how am I going to get up there? There aren't any foot holds or anything.' _Aimee asked Zora who was staying in the necklace like Aeryck was doing with Priscilla in order to conserve their strength.

'_Flex your fingers and think of claws.' _Aimee did as she was told and deep purple claws formed from her fingernails.

She dug her claws into the tower wall and climbed toward Fanyr with ease. Priscilla caught on to what she was doing and started to distract Fanyr even more. Aimee climbed until she was right over them. She then flung herself from the wall and onto Fanyr's neck.

"AIMEE!" Priscilla had not thought Aimee would do such a thing. She watched in horror as Aimee clung to Fanyr's neck. He took flight the moment Aimee had jumped on him. Priscilla tried to get to her, but was knocked out of the air and onto the roof by Fanyr's tail.

"Ye-ha." Aimee yelled as he flew and spiraled through the air. Fanyr roared in pain as Aimee dug her claws into his neck. She tried to grab the chain that held the crystal, but Fanyr had wrapped his tail around her from behind and tore her off of himself before she could grab the chain. He threw her into the air and caught her in his claw. He held her up to his face.

"Nice try, but obviously futile in the end." Fanyr said as smoke curled from his mouth. "Now what will you do?"

"I'm going to throw up on you if you don't put me down right now, that's what I'm going to do." Aimee had not taken the flight to well. Fanyr started to tighten his grip on her.

"I think I will just crush you instead." He said. Aimee screamed out in pain. She tried bursting into electrified flames, but they had no effect on him then all of the sudden Fanyr roared in pain and released Aimee who fell to the ground. She was luckily caught.

"Tarrant!" Aimee said in surprise. Looking up she saw that Tarrant had thrown a long crocheting needle that was now lodged in Fanyr's eyes. He roared in pain and plummeted to the ground.

"Are you okay?" Tarrant asked Aimee.

"Yes, I'm fine. You are so my knight in shining armor." Aimee said as Tarrant sat her down on the ground once he was sure she was fine. She gave him a quick peck on the cheek as Priscilla landed lightly beside them and started to hit Aimee.

"I've never seen anyone so prone to life threatening idiocy. That was the stupidest thing I have ever seen you do and you've done plenty." Priscilla stopped hitting her when she finished her speech. Aimee looked at her for a moment in silence.

"Owww." Aimee said. Priscilla rolled her eyes and they all walked over to the side of the roof. Fanyr was on his feet again and from the looks of things one of his wings was hurt. He looked up at him with one eye since the other was impaled and bleeding.

Priscilla took flight and flew down towards the ground. Aimee called Zora out and had Tarrant mount her and climb down while she jumped over the side. She dug her claws into the wall to slow her decent then flipped off the wall landing lightly on the ground.

"Awww, poor little Fanyr gots a boo boo." Aimee fake cooed. Fanyr roared and took a swipe at her which she dodged by flipping backwards. "Touchy touchy."

Aimee winced slightly at the pain in her arms and chest. Tarrant looked at her in concern, but Aimee just signaled that she was fine.

"You have two choices. Surrender now and live or keep fighting and be defeated." Priscilla said in a commanding voice though you could see the fatigue on all of their faces.

"NEVER!" Fanyr yelled and charged them. Priscilla and Tarrant jumped to the sides, but Aimee remained where she was. There was no way they were going to beat him without that crystal. Even when he was hurt he still had more power than them.

"AIMEE!" Tarrant and Priscilla yelled.

'_Are you sure about this?' _Asked Zora, who had returned to Aimee's necklace, after she understood Aimee's plan.

'_Nope.' _Aimee replied.

'_Ok, just checking.' _Right as Fanyr was upon her she ducked under his attempt to bite her and tumbled under him. She rolled out of the way as his tail came down. She then caused an earth wall to come up right in front of him. He ran into it, full force, causing him to stumble up a bit. Aimee threw some more blue green seeds that burst into vines that tried to drag him into the ground.

"Aimee, what were you thinking?" Tarrant started in his Scottish brogue. Priscilla ran up looking equally as angry.

"I was thinking that jewelry wasn't his thing." Aimee said while holding up Jareth's crystal. "Oh the cleverness of me."

"You both anger and amaze me." Priscilla said.

Aimee and Priscilla felt a surge of new energy like nothing they had felt before. The lights of their transformations covered them from head to toe like a body suit. Priscilla's wings were also covered and Aimee had gained a pair of cat ears plus a tail.

"Aimee, Priscilla?" said Tarrant uncertainly.

They didn't have a chance to answer because at that time Fanyr broke loose of the vines that constricted him then incinerated them before they could trap him again.

"Tarrant, take this to Jareth." Aimee said. Tarrant started at her for a moment then pulled her into a kiss that would have knocked her socks off had she been wearing any.

"I love you." Tarrant said.

"I love you too." Aimee replied as Tarrant ran back to the throne room.

"How sweet. When I have defeated you I will torture him until he dies in front of you then and only then will I kill you. And you my dear Priscilla I will take great pleasure doing the same to you and Jareth, but I will not kill you. You I will let linger behind the bars of your mind. You will stay with me forever." Fanyr started to laugh.

Aimee and Priscilla's light flared up around them in their anger.

"Fanyr you've harmed innocent people and attempted to conquer this world, in doing so you have ruined the lives of these people. How can you justify yourself?" Aimee said in an authorative voice. Gone was the jester and in its place was righteous fury. Fanyr sent a blast of fire at her which she caught and redirected it towards Fanyr. It hit him, but he was able to shrug it off.

"I don't have to explain myself to the likes of you. It is my destiny to rule this world and no one will stand in my way." Fanyr said.

"Don't you have any regrets for what you've done?" Priscilla asked.

"None." He said then released a torrent of flames at the girls. Aimee caught the flames and redirected them toward him while Priscilla added a rush of water.


	60. Power Restored

Tarrant ran back through the corridors towards the throne room. All of the sudden he was surrounded by three wolf hybrids. Upon seeing Tarrant they howled a war cry and charged him. Tarrant pulled out his sword and side stepped the first one. He brought his sword down on his head effectively slicing it off.

The next one grabbed him by the arm in a painful clawed grip and was about to bite him, but Tarrant head butted him in the head then stabbed him in the chest when it let go of him.

"No one wins with a head butt." He mumbled while shaking his head to clear it.

The last soldier was obviously the leader judging by more elaborate armor. The monster reached behind him and pulled out a large engraved battle axe then howled as he charged at hatter. His axe and Hatter's sword clanged off of each other. They exchanged many blows before Hatter got the upper hand and sliced off one of his arms then stabbed him in the stomach.

After winning, Tarrant ran down the hall while clutching his injured arm and finally made it to the throne room where he found Jareth still lying on the ground in a comatose state.

Tarrant ran up to him and slipped the Crystal around his neck. There was a flash of silver and blue light; when it cleared Jareth was standing before him his power restored.


	61. It's All Over

Fanyr roared in pain as the elements hit him. They released elemental blast after elemental blast. They used every technique they could think of and a few they made up on the spot.

Priscilla caused the water to come up around herself like the arms of an octopus. Each one was used as an iced tipped whip that cut deep into Fanyr's scales. Aimee caused stone pillars to come up and hit Fanyr in various places all over his body.

Aimee also performed another leaf swirl, but added a new twist by setting the leaves on fire. As Priscilla forced a gust of wind at Fanyr and caused him to crash into a wall.

When the dust cleared Fanyr was bruised and battered but still standing. He had deep gashes from Aimee's leaf swirl and Priscilla's water whip. He was breathing hard, but so were the girls. They didn't have the energy to defeat him. They released one more volley of attacks, but in the end their light faded and they were once again in their normal fighting outfits. Even with the new energy that Jareth's crystal had given them they weren't strong enough to defeat him. He was a royal fey and as such had great power.

"Now what?" Asked Aimee with a hint of desperation in her voice as they collapsed into a kneeling position on the ground.

"Now you die." He gasped out as he raised his claw for the final strike. Neither had the strength to defend themselves and it seemed Fanyr had forgotten his previous threat. The girls clung to each other and closed their eyes as they waited for the strike that never came. Looking up they saw Fanyr frozen in place.

"That's enough out of you brother." The girls turned to see Jareth walking toward them followed closely by Tarrant. Jareth was dressed in his brown leather jacket with the armor on the right arm, grey pants, and brown knee high riding boots.

Jareth walked up to Priscilla and helped her up, as did Tarrant for Aimee. The boys had to hold the girls up because if they didn't they would have fallen from exhaustion.

"Your arm." Aimee said in alarm. Tarrant's arm was bleeding heavily from the wolf hybrids attacks.

"It's nothing." Tarrant replied. Aimee didn't listen though. She took the sash from her hat and tied it around his arm.

"How did you do that?" Priscilla asked Jareth as Aimee took care of Tarrant.

"When I have my complete crystal I can re-order time and even stop it. I have also stopped the armies of Fanyr. " Jareth explained.

"What are we going to do with him now?" Jareth didn't answer Aimee. He merely held up his crystal. A shaft of light shot out of the crystal and shot Fanyr in the chest. He seemed to break down into dust particles and then they were sucked into the crystal.

"He will never escape." Jareth said.

"So it's all over?" Priscilla asked tiredly.

"Yes my dear, it's all over." He said as he pulled Priscilla closer.

"Good." Said Aimee as she cuddled into Tarrant's chest.


	62. The Aftermath

The Labyrinth had been restored to its former glory in the blink of an eye as Jareth willed it. The sun shone and it was like a long winter had been broken by a splendid spring. I was truly amazing to see the Labyrinth in all its glory and splendor.

The next three days were spent burying the dead and mourning their passing. It was also filled with rest for Aimee and Priscilla. They helped as best they could by healing the injured. Aimee was growing healing plants by the dozen while Priscilla used her powers to heal the more critical cases. When that was done they had wanted to do more, but on the third day Jareth ordered them to bed and posted guards at the doors to make sure they stayed there.

The girls went without much struggling after getting a promise from the guys that they too would take a break and to their surprise they slept straight through the two days.

Aimee was reluctant to get up and none of the goblins were brave enough to enter her room. The last one had his head singed.

Tarrant silently snuck into Aimee's rooms. She was snuggled under the covers and a happy smile played on her lips. Tarrant gently sat on the bed and leaned over her. He gently tucked her hair behind her ear and placed his lips on hers. Slowly, but surely he could feel Aimee starting to respond. He pulled back and smiled down at her.

"You're lucky you're such a good kisser or I'd have torched your butt by now." Aimee mumbled as she stretched in bed. "How long have I been out?"

"We've all been asleep for about two days." He said with a smile as he started to kiss her neck and up her jaw line then to her mouth he returned. He pulled back again and helped her out of bed.

His face lit up in a bright blush and his eyes turned pink, but then his eyes turned blue and troubled.

"Tarrant, what's wrong?" Aimee was wearing deep purple pajamas with yellow green poka-dots. Aimee looked down and noticed that the buttons over her stomach had come undone to reveal the scars from the mermaid attack. She looked back up and saw the guilt in his eyes. "Tarrant, this wasn't your fault."

He nodded then pulled her into a hug. They stayed like that for a while, just enjoying each other's company.

"You must be hungry." Tarrant said and Aimee nodded her head adamantly. "They should be serving lunch now."

"Famished, do you think they have mint tea?" Aimee asked excitedly as Zora changed her clothes into a deep purple long sleeved shirt with a yellow green tank top underneath and a pair of jeans with yellow green converse.

"If not I will make you some myself." He took Aimee's hand and they ran down the hall together towards the dining room laughing like crazy.


	63. It's Not Your Fault

Priscilla had woken up long before Aimee had and was now making her way to Jareth's study. He had not joined her when breakfast was served and she was a little worried about him. She knocked lightly on the door before entering.

"Come in." Said Jareth lightly. She walked in to find him sitting on a window sill overlooking the city and the surrounding Labyrinth. Priscilla walked up behind him, circled her arms around him, and placed her chin on his shoulder. They stayed like that for a time, neither of them wanting to break the silence just yet.

"How are you?" Priscilla asked finally breaking the silence.

"As well as can be expected." Priscilla could tell he was blaming himself for their loses in the battle.

"This wasn't your fault." Priscilla tried to console him.

"First rule of leadership, it is always your fault. I should have been more focused on my kingdom. I got cocky and my people paid the price." He said in a grim voice.

Priscilla grabbed by his shoulders and in a frustrated gesture she turned him around. She put her hands on either side of his face and forced him to look her in the eyes.

"Listen to me; this is not your fault. You had no way of knowing what was going to happen. Fanyr was a devious manipulative monster. You should not blame yourself for his evil." Priscilla said adamantly. Jareth gazed into her eyes and gently placed his hands over her. He brought them to his mouth and kissed them.

"You are truly an amazing woman." He said.

"I know." She said with a smile. Jareth grinned and pulled her into a deep kiss. Just then Aimee and Tarrant burst into the room.

"Good morning everyone." Aimee said in an overly happy voice.

"Aimee, it's One-thirty in the afternoon." Priscilla said in a slightly miffed voice. She wasn't too happy about her kiss with Jareth being interrupted.

"I've heard it both ways." Aimee retorted. "I just thought you'd like to know about the ball and festival that's going to be thrown tomorrow in celebration of the fall of Fanyr. Isn't that awesome?"

Aimee had by this time grabbed Priscilla and started to waltz energetically and goofily with her around the room in an excited flurry as Tarrant and Jareth watched with amused expressions. The girls laughed excitedly as they danced.

"May we cut in?" Asked Tarrant who took Aimee by the hand and pulled her close by her waist as Jareth took hold of Priscilla's hand, following suit. They waltzed to a nameless and soundless tune yet it was the most beautiful music any of them had ever heard.


	64. Dresses

Aimee and Priscilla were in Priscilla's room going through different dress ideas for the following night. They were excited and could not wait to dance the night away. They had been drawing for hours, perfecting their ideas so that Aeryck and Zora could transform their outfits into them.

"It's going to be like a fairy tale." Aimee gushed.

"What, the past nineteen days weren't enough for you?" Priscilla asked sarcastically. Aimee through a pillow that Priscilla easily dodged, it harmlessly hit the wall behind her.

"One of these days I'm going to aim for the wall and hit you." Aimee said as she stuck out her tongue. All of the sudden Aimee squealed in delight. "This is it."

Aimee had drawn a beautiful ball gown. It had a deep purple shimmering skirt with rose pink ruffles at the bottom. The top was also a rose pink shimmering strapless tube top that two rows of yellow green beads and ruffles just below that in rose pink. A shear yellow green swimsuit cut top went over the top of the dress and ended in the middle of her chest and was held up by a chocker necklace.

Aimee had also decided to let her long hair hand loose and add some curls to the bottom. Tarrant had said he would make her a hat to match her dress once she had the design drawn out.

"It's perfect for you. I think I have mine to." Priscilla said in an excited voice.

Priscilla handed Aimee her drawing. The dress was held up by one strap of burgundy flowers. It was a cream colored corset top with a matching ruffled skirt that shimmered gold and had a slit up the side that revealed a floral embroidered underskirt.

"That's awesome." Aimee said. "I'm going to show Tarrant my design then we were going to have dinner together. I've no doubt that you and Jareth have similar plans."

"Yep, we're going to have a picnic in the gardens." Priscilla said happily. They sat there for a moment in a happy daze before Aimee said her final good bye and rushed off to show Tarrant her idea.

Priscilla got ready for her date with Jareth by having Aeryck change her Victorian style shirt and jeans in to a beautiful sun dress. It went down to her knees and was made of a flowing material. It was a sweet heart spaghetti strap top with black embroidery around the top and bottom in the shape of hearts and flowers. She was wearing a pair of lace up ballet slippers and her hair was in a half way up style. She did a twirl in the mirror before she ran off to meet Jareth. Aeryck wished her luck as he flew out the window.


	65. Aimee and Tarrant's Date

Aimee ran down the hall and had Zora change her cloths as she ran. She was now wearing a short dark green spaghetti strap dress with a pink stripped shirt underneath. She was also wearing a pair of skinny jeans and dark green scrunched up boots. She was wearing pink lace fingerless gloves and pink and green bracelets. A deep purple headband adorned her head.

Zora went off on her own to give them some privacy as Aimee ran to the sewing room where Tarrant said he would be when she was ready. She slowed down and entered the room silently. Tarrant sat in the middle of the room surrounded by ribbons, bows, feathers, and veils. He hummed as he worked and there were several large hats already finished.

"They're beautiful." Aimee said in awe.

"Thank you." Tarrant said happily as he walked over to her. As he came around the counter Aimee noticed that he was not wearing his normal clothes. His jacket was dark blue and he was now wearing a dark green plaid kilt. He had on a red vest underneath and a pink button up underneath that. He had on his same giant bow tie, shoes, mismatched socks, and hat. "Have you finished your dress sketch?"

Aimee stuttered a bit. The sight of him in a kilt was not bad at all.

"Yes I have." Aimee said finally coming around while handing it over to Tarrant who luckily didn't seem to notice her distracted nature or was being merciful. He studied the sketch for a while and his brows furrowed.

"Is something wrong?" Aimee asked. She thought that maybe he didn't like it. Noticing her worry Tarrant quickly reassured her.

"Nothing is wrong. It's beautiful. I'm just trying to think of the right hat for it." All of the sudden his features lit up and he began grabbing materials that complimented the dress. In a matter of moments he had the most perfect hat for Aimee's dress. Her smile was so big that it would have put shame to the Cheshire cat.

It was rose pink head piece with ruffles and yellow green beads around the rim. It also had two strings of beads that came from the hat and circled her head. A deep purple gardenia shaped flower with a cascade of yellow green feathers flowing down.

"It's perfect. You're a genius." Aimee gushed as she wrapped her arms around Tarrant.

"Thank you." Tarrant said as he returned the hug. He carefully placed the hat back on a stand and then took Aimee by the hand. "Come with me."

Tarrant led them down the hall and into a small parlor. There was a pair of French double doors at one end and Aimee could see a faint glow coming from the other side. Tarrant opened the doors to reveal a large beautiful balcony. Close to the railing was a small table set with food and tea. There were also candles everywhere giving it quite the romantic glow and from somewhere Aimee could not locate a beautiful melody floated down.

"It's beautiful." Aimee said.

"Not as beautiful as you." Tarrant replied while his eyes turned a purplish, pink. Aimee smiled shyly at the Hatter, who grinned goofily back, tossed his hat neatly so it landed at an angle on one of the chairs.

"Do you practice that?" Aimee giggled. The Hatter just winked, causing a blush to rise to her cheeks. Tarrant then led her over to the little table and, ever the gentleman, pulled her chair out for her. "Thank you."

They ate in silence and would exchange looks of love. After eating they talked and talked. They told jokes that had them laughing until they cried. When it was quite again Aimee noticed that the music was now playing one of her favorite songs called 'The way I am,' By Ingrid Michaelson.

"This is one of my favorite songs," Aimee said. "but how is it playing here? I mean this is a song from my world."

Tarrant pointed to a square object no bigger than a rubix cube in the middle of the table Aimee had mistaken for a candle of some kind. It had different colors that swirled inside.

"This plays any song that you want. It takes it from your memory. Would you like to dance?" Tarrant asked. Aimee nodded happily. Tarrant took her hand and they glided to the center of the balcony. The words started and Aimee couldn't help but notice how perfect the lyrics were for them.

They twirled and danced the night away. Aimee gazed happily up into his eyes as Tarrant returned the gesture with a smile of his own that revealed the gap in his teeth that Aimee adored. They ended the dance in a kiss that sent sparks and explosions of fireworks through them.


	66. Priscilla and Jareth's Date

Priscilla walked out on the terrace and saw Jareth standing at the top of the staircase with his back to her. He turned around and a smile lit up his features.

"You look beautiful." He commented as he kissed her hand. Priscilla blushed and smiled lightly at his romantic nature. He was wearing a black poet's shirt with a dark blue vest over that and black pants with black boots. He was also wearing his signature necklace.

"You don't look so bad yourself." Priscilla said back. He smiled and led her down the stair to towards the gardens. They soon came upon a blanket lying underneath an apple tree in bloom and it also had a picnic basket on it. Little lights floated around illuminating the immediate area. "Wow."

They sat down on the blanket and started to go through the basket and pull out the food. They ate and chatted until the food was gone, then sat there just staring at the stars.

"They're beautiful." Priscilla commented as she laid her head on his chest.

"Mmm…" Jareth replied as he pulled her closer and planted a soft kiss on the top of her head. They stayed like that for a while when all of the sudden a sparkling fizzy light flew over their heads causing Priscilla to sit up in alarm.

"What was that?" Priscilla asked Jareth who also sat up.

"A firefly." Jareth said

"But it was fizzing and shooting off sparks and there are so many different colors" Priscilla said in amazement.

"Yes, do they not do that in your world?" Jareth asked in confusion.

"No they don't. These are like mini fireworks." Priscilla said as she stood up and Jareth watched them as the circled around her. She twirled as she watched them then she caught sight of Jareth staring at her with a slightly mischievous grin.

"What?" Priscilla asked. Jareth's smile grew and Priscilla was overcome with the need to run which she embraced when Jareth took a menacing step towards.

She ran into the rose garden maze and could hear Jareth following her. They laughed as they ran down the path. As Priscilla ran she noticed that she could no longer here Jareth laughing. She turned a corner then peeked around it, but did not see Jareth coming.

She turned around and standing before her in a lit up gazebo was Jareth.

"Looking for someone." He smirked. Priscilla gave him a look the joined him.

"No one important." She replied matching his smirk with one of her own, as she walked up to the Gazebo.

"Is that so?" He said as he pulled her into a hug and started to plant soft kisses along her jaw line.

"No, not really." Priscilla said. "In fact he has become everything to me and I love him very much."

Jareth looked into her eyes with so much joy. He picked Priscilla up and twirled her around as they laughed.

"I love you very much as well." Jareth said when he had set her back on the ground and proceeded to kiss her senseless. When they parted Priscilla's face took on a confused look.

"Jareth, why did the labyrinth take such an interest in me? Why did it help me?" Priscilla asked. Jareth smiled lightly as he looked at her.

"I don't think I should tell you yet, but I promise to one day." Priscilla gave him a close look and then nodded her head.

"Ok." She said. Jareth smiled and held her close as they watched the fireflies dance around them.


	67. Home is Where the Heart is

Aimee lay in bed staring at the ceiling of her room as she went over her date with Tarrant. She smiled and then she had a stray thought.

'_I wonder what my parent's would think of him?' _Then it hit her. When they went home, which she was sure they would, would they ever see Tarrant and Jareth again?

Aimee got out of bed in a rush and nearly fell onto the floor as she got tangled in her blankets. She wrapped herself in one of the blankets and wrenched her door open then ran to the one across the hall not even bothering to knock and tore it open. She made a mad dash for the bed and shook the occupant awake.

"Huh…Wha… what is it Aimee?" Priscilla mumbled sleepily.

"We will go home, what if we never see the guys again. I don't think I could ever love another man. I don't want to leave Tarrant. I love him. I've waited my whole life to find a man like him and I…" Aimee was off on a tirade.

"Aimee, calm down." Priscilla said interrupting her. "Weren't you the one who said that if it was meant to be it will?"

Aimee sniffled and nodded lightly. Priscilla hugged her and continued. She had had the same troubling thoughts, but did not want to worry Aimee. They had asked Aeryck and Zora if they could travel back and forth between the worlds, but they didn't have that kind of power.

"So don't worry, I have no doubt that if we are separated from them it won't be for long." Priscilla said.

"Really?" Aimee asked childishly.

"Yes, really." Priscilla said with confidence. "Feel better?"

"Yes. Thanks for the talk." Aimee felt relieved, but the nagging in the back of her head would not leave her alone.

After saying goodnight to Priscilla she walked back to her room. She looked at the door to her right. Behind that door was the man she loved.

As she stood outside his door debating whether or not to enter when all of the sudden she heard a scream come from inside. Without another thought she opened the door and rushed over to him. Tarrant was tossing and turning violently in his sleep, his face was twisted in a look of pure terror.

"Tarrant, wake up." Aimee said as she gently stroked his brown and held one of his hands. "It's only a dream."

Tarrant sat up and was surprised to see Aimee sitting next to him wrapped in a purple blanket. Aimee was surprised to see his eyes a blazing orange that slowly changed into blue.

"Aimee?" Tarrant asked uncertainly. Aimee scooted closer to Tarrant who was, by this time, intently studying his hands, which were nearly tying a knot in the sheets. She gently placed a hand on the side of his face though he still did not look up.

"Are you ok?" Aimee asked as she stroked his cheek, he didn't answer though. "What were you dreaming about?"

He continued to stare at his hands and Aimee thought he wasn't going to answer.

"I was dreaming about my family, my clan, and the day I lost them." He said in a strained voice. "Sometimes I do that. During random nights that even I can't predict I think of them and what happened."

"I'm so sorry. Is there anything I can do?" Aimee asked. Tarrant smiled lightly and shook his head.

"I don't think there is love, but thank you." He said as he pulled her close. Aimee wanted to do something for him and didn't want to be alone herself.

"Can I stay in here tonight?" Aimee asked. He could tell that she was worried about not only him, but something else as well. She obviously didn't want to talk about it though he could guess. He scooted over to make room for her. She snuggled under the covers and pressed herself into Tarrant's embrace.

He stroked her hair in calming motions and soon she was asleep. He looked down at her calm face as she slept and smiled as he saw a smile on her lips. His smile turned into a frown as he thought about the future.

He and Jareth had already discussed that the girls would have to go home. They couldn't stay here with their families left to worry in their home world. Jareth had been trying to find a way for them to travel between the worlds, but so far had no luck. The traveling between worlds seemed to be up entirely to fate. He didn't want to lose her. If he did he was certain he would lose what was left of his mind and that the nightmares would become more frequent.

He had noticed that all the time he had spent in the Labyrinth that as long as she was near him his nightmares stayed at bay. Thinking about losing her was an awful thought that he did not want to think about. His eyes returned to Aimee's sleeping face and then he nuzzled into her hair.

"I love you." He mumbled into her hair while breathing in the scent of peppermints.

'_I'll find a way to stay with you. I won't lose you.' _Tarrant promised himself and Aimee silently.


	68. What the Scnitzel

Priscilla awoke early the next morning and lay in bed thinking about what was and what was to come. She was worried. She rubbed her eyes and felt the bed dip a little. She peaked through her fingers at a smirking Jareth. He was wearing a white poet's shirt with a black vest over it and grey pants. He had on a pair of dark brown riding boots as well.

"Sleep well?" He asked. Priscilla raised an eyebrow at him wondering how he had known she was awake.

"Have you been using your crystal to spy on me?" Priscilla asked suspiciously. Jareth's eyes widened for a moment before he schooled his face into a look of pure innocence. Priscilla gave him a look that screamed that she did not believe him for a moment.

"I have no idea of what you are speaking." He said while not meeting her eyes as he rolled his crystal from hand to hand.

"Is that so?" Priscilla said in a monotone voice. She summed Aeryck who came out of nowhere and stole his crystal.

"Hey!" He said. He tried to get it back, but Aeryck held him off. Since Priscilla was connected to the Labyrinth taking his crystal had no affect on him. She gazed into it and summoned up the last thing he had watched and sure enough a picture of her sleeping came into view.

"No idea, huh." Priscilla said as she tossed it back to him. Jareth gave a sheepish.

Priscilla grabbed one of her pillows and proceeded to hit him with it. Jareth ran around the room trying to avoid the pillow attack. Jareth then teleported behind Priscilla and Grabbed her.

"The tables have turned my dear." Jareth said with a smirk.

"Is that so?" Priscilla said then hooked her leg behind his and tripped him. Unfortunately she fell with him. They landed in a tangled heap on the ground. Just then Aimee and Tarrant barged in. Aimee had awoken early in Tarrant's arms and while they lay together they came up with the idea to surprise Priscilla awake. Aimee had quickly changed into a spaghetti strap yellow green top with black lace on the top and bottom. A long sleeved off the shoulder deep purple shirt was underneath that and a pair of black lace fingerless gloves. She was also wearing skinny jeans and deep purple black strapped boots. She also had on deep purple knitted hat with a yellow green flower on it which Tarrant had suggested.

Then Aimee waited outside while Tarrant changed into his blue jacket, maroon vest, brown pants, his large bow, mismatched socks, and brown dress shoes. As he walked outside he popped his hat on his head and then barged into Priscilla's room with Aimee. Needless to say they were quite shocked at what they saw.

"What the Schnitzel?" Exclaimed Aimee. Priscilla and Jareth exchanged looks and hurriedly got up off the floor. "Is this one of those, 'this isn't what it looks like', type of things?"

"We weren't doing anything."Priscilla said as Aeryck changed her into her everyday clothes that consisted of an off white off the shoulder sweater with a black vest over it and a pair of dark brown pants. She was wearing a pair of black ballet slippers.

"Right." Aimee said while eying them. "Priscilla come with me."

Aimee pulled Priscilla down the hall leaving Jareth and Tarrant in Priscilla's room.

"So…" Tarrant started.

"Nothing happened." Jareth said.

"If you say so." Tarrant said with a smile. Jareth gave him a good long glare before picking up Priscilla's discarded pillow and whacked him on the back of the head.


	69. What to Do

Aimee led Priscilla into the gardens for some girl time before the festival started at noon. That gave them two hours of piece to discuss going home. Aimee was hanging upside down in an oak tree while Priscilla was sitting beneath it.

"So what are we going to do?" Aimee asked. Priscilla didn't answer right away, but when she did Aimee wasn't sure she liked the answer completely.

"We have to go home if the opportunity presents itself. We have our families to think about. Our parents are probably worried about us." Priscilla said. Aimee nodded in agreement as she righted herself in the tree.

"I know your right, but I don't want to leave Tarrant. I know this sounds conceited, but I think he needs me and to be honest I need him too. He's the first guy I've ever met that doesn't make me feel like an idiot every time I open my mouth and say something random." Aimee said wistfully.

"I know what you mean. Jareth makes me feel so happy. The way we can talk about anything and he's just so romantic. Not at all like the guys back home. They think if they take you to a movie where you don't talk and then to a restaurant where they're too busy stuffing themselves to talk constitutes as a date, but Jareth actually took the time to get to know me and my life. He actually cares." Priscilla said. "But what choice do we have?"

"None at all." Aimee answered with a frown.

"Come on, we need to get ready for the festival." Priscilla said. Aimee nodded and flipped down from the tree.

The festival throughout the goblin city would last till eight; it would involve food, games, performers, and many other forms of entertainment. Then at eight the ball would begin.


	70. The Fair

Aimee and Priscilla met up with Tarrant and Jareth as they entered the castle fair grounds. There were booths of all kinds sat up. Some had food and others had jewelry, clothes, and many other interesting things.

The girls spent most of the time dragging the boys from one booth to another. Many of the vendors offered them things which they tried to turn down, but Jareth said it would be rude if they did so they excepted them then promptly handed them to the guys to carry. Many goblins snickered at their kings predicament, but were quickly silenced with a glare.

After depositing their gifts via crystal teleportation they went to catch some of the performances. There were jugglers, fire breathers, and actual magicians. When they came upon the acrobats Aimee couldn't help, but to join in.

Tarrant watched in wonder as Aimee flipped into the air and landed on her hands only to spring into the air again. She worked well with the other acrobats as well. They performed amazingly and soon drew a big crowd.

Children laughed and clapped their hands in excitement as did the adults. For the finally they built a standing human pyramid by flipping onto each other's shoulders. Aimee then jumped down from the top and landed lightly in front of the others. Tarrant pulled her into a hug.

"You are amazing." He said as he twirled her around.

"Thank you very much." Aimee laughed. As Tarrant sat her back down a group of fae came over.

"We have heard a rumor that you sing beautifully and we would very much like to hear your voice." Said a Sylvan elf with copper hair and brown eyes to Priscilla. Priscilla's eyes widened.

'_How did they know that?' _Priscilla wondered then caught Aimee's slightly mischievous smile.

"Aimee?" Priscilla said with a hint of fake anger.

"Yes, Priscilla." Aimee said while faking innocents.

"You told them didn't you?" Priscilla said as she looked Aimee in the eye.

"Should I run?" Aimee said nervously.

"No, you're going to dance while I sing." Priscilla said. Aimee gave a relived sigh.

"And you thought she'd freak out." Aimee said while nudging Jareth who pushed her over, luckily Tarrant caught her. Priscilla sent a glare to Jareth who smiled guiltily.

"I wanted to hear your lovely voice again. Can you blame me?" Jareth said as he pulled her close and gave her his best puppy dog pout.

"Fine, but you have to sing with me." Priscilla said leaving no room for argument as she drug Jareth onto the small stage with her. Aimee looked at Tarrant out of the corner of her eye.

"Want to dance with me?" Aimee asked with a big smile.

"I'd love to." Tarrant said as he offered his arm and lead her to the stage. Tarrant pulled out the cube he had shown Aimee the night before and handed it to Priscilla.

"What song are you going to sing?" Aimee asked.

"Well what songs do you know?" Priscilla asked Jareth.

"Just pick anything and I will know the lyrics." Jareth said. "The cube will let me know."

"Then let's sing 'So close' by Jon McLaughlin." Priscilla said. Jareth nodded as Aimee and Tarrant took their positions. A hush fell on the crowd as the introduction started to play.

Jareth started the song and soon Priscilla was in a world of her own with Jareth. Everything else faded away. The same thing happened to Tarrant and Aimee as the flowed into a graceful ballroom dance. Aimee smile brightly as Tarrant twirled her and brought her close.

_You're in my arms_

_And all the world is calm_

_The music playing on for only two_

_So close together_

_And when I'm with you_

_So close to feeling alive_

Priscilla sang next and smiled as she looked into Jareth's eyes. She conveyed all the love she had in her heart to him as she sang. Tarrant stole a quick kiss as he swirled her around and Aimee blushed as she looked into his purple eyes.

_A life goes by_

_Romantic dreams must die_

_So I bid mine goodbye and never knew_

_So close was waiting waiting here with you_

_And now forever I know_

_All that I want is to hold you_

_So close_

They then broke out into a duet that had the audience enthralled. Their voices were a perfect match for each other. Aimee and Tarrant speed picked up as they danced. Their every step was flawless. They seemed to know exactly where the other was going to step and quickly followed.

_So close to reaching that famous happy ending_

_Almost believing this one's not pretend_

_And now you're beside me and look how far we've come_

_So far we are so close_

They sang with a conviction that shook the crowd to their cores. No one knew how much they truly felt these next lyrics. Tarrant lifted her up into the air and turned with her as she laughed.

_How could I face the faceless days_

_If I should lose you now?_

_We're so close_

_To reaching that famous happy ending_

_Almost believing this one's not pretend_

_Let's go on dreaming for we know we are_

_So close_

_So close_

_And still so far_

The song ended with Priscilla and Jareth staring deeply into each other's eyes and  
Tarrant dipped Aimee deeply then brought her back up into a kiss. The crowd erupted into applause as Priscilla, Aimee, Jareth, and Tarrant took a bow. The rest of the day followed much the same way and soon it was an hour before the ball.


	71. The Ball

Priscilla and Aimee went to Priscilla's room and started to get ready. Although Zora and Aeryck provided their clothes and accessories they still had to do their own hair and make-up.

Aimee let her hair hand loose and curled it at the ends. On her eyes was a light dusting of sparkling deep purple on the lids and yellow green bellow the eyebrow. She wore light pink lip gloss and a faint blush graced her cheeks. To finish it off she reverently placed the hat Tarrant had made her on her head. She smiled as she stood in front of the full length mirror and twirled as Zora made her dress appear on her in a flourish of sparkles.

"Were the sparkles necessary?" Priscilla asked as she dusted some of them off her clothes.

"Yes, yes they were." Aimee said with a smile as she watched Priscilla finished getting ready.

She had put her hair in an up do. It had beautiful waves piled loosely at the crown of the head with loose pieces hanging down to frame her face and along the crown of the head she had medium sized burgundy crystals sparsely strung. On her eyes was a shimmering gold eye shadow that faded into a cream color as it went up. Her lips were a light cherry red and her cheeks were light pink. Aeryck then changed her into her dress.

"Nice." Aimee said as Priscilla did her own little twirl. "Come on we're supposed to meet the boys in the hall outside the ball room."

"Ok." Priscilla said. The girls eagerly ran down the corridor that led to the hall. They stopped at the top of the stairs when they looked down and saw the guys.

Jareth was wearing a dark red leather jacket trimmed in red with to tails. He had on a black vest and a cream colored poet's shirt under that. He was wearing a pair of black pants and black riding boots. He had red streaks in his hair.

Tarrant was wearing a dark purple jacket with a dark green vest underneath along with his signature bow and top hat. He was also wearing a dark green plaid kilt, mismatched socks, and brown dress shoes.

They both turned around when they heard the girls coming and both of their mouths dropped as Aimee and Priscilla glided down the stairs. Aimee walked up to Tarrant and put her hand on his chin to close it.

"You'll catch flies that way." Aimee said with a smile.

"You look wonderful." Tarrant said as he pulled her close.

"So what do you think?" Priscilla said as she did a little twirl.

"You look beautiful." Jareth said as he took her hand and kissed it. "We should go in now. The guest should all be inside."

"Are we the last ones here?" Aimee asked.

"No, as the guests of honor you are the first to be announced before royalty from other countries come." Jareth replied.

"Other royalty?" Priscilla said nervously.

"Don't worry, you'll be fine." Jareth assured as he took Priscilla's hand in his. "Here I have something for you."

Jareth held out a small box and inside were a pair of the most beautiful burgundy pearl hairclips.

"Jareth they're gorgeous." Priscilla said as he placed them in her hair.

"I'm glad you like them. Shall we go now?" Jareth offered his arm.

"Of course." Priscilla said while taking his arm. Aimee and Tarrant held hands as they went ahead. They walked into the ballroom and were announced by a goblin dressed as a paige.

The ballroom was a long rectangle shape with high domed ceiling. It had silver columns and accents around the room. Also there were dark blue tapestries and wall hangings. Four diamond chandeliers hung from the ceiling and smaller pearl chandeliers hung around the bigger ones. Pink and purple flowers floated through the air but never seemed to settle anywhere and amongst the flowers were floating multi colored lights.

On the tables were bouquets of the same flowers with silver spiral sticks tipped in diamonds amongst them. The table cloths were white and embroidered with silver and blue. Overlapping that was a silvery blue cloth.

The plates were also tipped in silver with a completely silver plate beneath that. The silverware was also silver. There were crystal wine glasses as well that seemed to sparkle in the light.

At one end of the room were three giant glass windows and doors that led out onto the terrace that led to the gardens. In front of that was a dais with four ornate chairs.

"Tarrant Hightopp the Mad Hatter and Lady Aimee champion of the underground." Called out the paige as they descended the staircase and took their seats at the dais.

"King Jareth of the goblins and Lady Priscilla champion of the underground." Priscilla and Jareth glided down the steps to the applause of the crowd and took their seats next to Aimee and Tarrant. Aeryck and Zora left to find something fun to do. Then a waltz was started.

Tarrant quickly asked Aimee to dance and soon they were on the floor with the rest of the crowd. Suddenly, the waltz changed to something else, and they began to dance a bit faster. Tarrant swung Aimee around in graceful circles around the floor, and even spun her a few times. Each time he spun Aimee out and pulled her back, he would pull Aimee a bit closer and holding her a bit tighter, as though he were afraid of accidentally spinning her off the dance floor. His face now was a mixture of concentration and joyful excitement Aimee noted and was sure hers mirrored his.

Within minutes, Aimee could sense the music building to a climax, and knew that something big was going to happen at the end of the dance. She could feel it in the song, and see it on the Tarrant's face. Faster they danced, and just when she was starting to lose her breath in the rush of excitement, Tarrant pulled her flush against him, and then bent her back into a dip.

The crowd applauded as Tarrant brought Aimee back up and guided her back to the dais. A waiter served them some drinks which they happily accepted as they sat down and proceeded to watch the rest of the dancers trace intricate patterns across the floor.

The Ballroom was filled with the clatter voices and laughter. All of the sudden the paige knocked his stick on the floor signaling for everyone's silence. The rulers from the othe kingdoms had arrived.

"Queen Mirana of Marmoreal in Underland and her escort the White Knight Sir James." The Queen and her Knight walked down the hall and to the dais where they nodded lightly which was returned. They then went to take their seats. The other rulers followed suit.

"Queen D.G. of the Outer Zone and her escorts Advisor Ambrose, RAW, and he guard Wyatt Cain." Aimee and Priscilla were getting excited at the chance to meet all of these famous fairytale rulers.

"The Childlike empress and her guard Atreyu of the plains Indians." The empress was so delicate.

"Queen Cinderella of the first kingdom of the nine kingdoms and her great grandson Prince Charming the 4th." They bowed lightly in respect then moved on, but not before Charming gave a wink to the girls that caused both Jareth and Tarrant to glare at his back.

"Queen riding hood the 3rd of the northern second kingdom of the nine kingdoms and her escort sir Nathan." They gave a flourishing bow then took their seats.

" Gretel the great of the southern second kingdom of the nine kingdoms and her escort sir Franz." They clicked their heals together before they bowed.

"Prince Wendell of the fourth kingdom of the nine kingdoms and the Lady Krystal." They smiled happily and paid their respects before sitting.

"The Naked Emperor the 5th of the fifth kingdom of the nine kingdoms and the Empress Tracy." The girls had to avert their eyes.

"Olaf the elf king of the seventh kingdom and Queen Leaf Fall." They fluttered into the room and landed gracefully in front of them.

"King Rolland of the ninth kingdom and Queen Beth." They were so small, but they didn't dare comment on it.

"King Caspian of Narnia and Lady Maria." They walked in a very stately manner and bowed rigidly, but there was mirth in both of their eyes.

"Peter Pan of Neverland and the lost boys." Priscilla and Aimee laughed as a bunch of little boys ran in and started to play. Peter Pan flew straight to Jareth and shook his hand before flying off to play with his friends.

When everyone was seated dinner was served. There was food of every kind and even some that Priscilla and Aimee had never heard of. They ate and talked with the other guests. When Aimee had finished Tarrant took her to meet Queen Mirana.

"Your Majesty." Tarrant said with a bow. "May I introduce Aimee Knight."

"It is a pleasure to meet you your Majesty." Aimee said as she curtsied gracefully and smiled.

"It is a pleasure to meet you as well, Aimee." Mirana replied in a lilting voice. "You and your friend are quite the heroines from what I've heard of your adventure."

"Thank you, but we could not have done it without Tarrant." Aimee said while giving him a loving smile that did not go unnoticed by Mirana.

"I would like to know more about you Aimee. Would you are to take a turn in the gardens with me?" Mirana asked. Aimee looked at Tarrant who gave her an encouraging look.

"Sure, I'd love to." Aimee said. Aimee and Mirana walked out the doors and into the beautiful garden. The same floating lights that were inside were present outside as well.

"You and Tarrant are very close are you not?" Mirana asked.

"Yes we are. I am, in fact, in love with him." Aimee said with a blush.

"I am glad to hear that. You are well suited for each other and I can tell Tarrant thinks the world of you." Mirana said then she noticed Aimee's face had saddened. "What is the matter child?"

"I will have to go home to my family soon. I can't leave them. Isn't there anyway that Tarrant and Jareth can come visit us?" Aimee asked desperately.

"I don't know, but these things have a way of working themselves out if they are meant to be." Mirana said. "Come, we must get back to the ball. Tarrant will have missed you."

Aimee nodded and held back her tears as they returned to the ball. She quickly found Tarrant and started another waltz with him. If she was going to have to leave she didn't want to miss a second with Tarrant.


	72. Jareths Parents Allie and Lacy

Jareth and Priscilla glided across the dance floor surrounded by a sea of people, but feeling completely alone with each other. Jareth smiled lovingly at Priscilla who returned it with one of her own.

"Are you enjoying yourself?" Jareth asked as he spun her out and pulled her closer.

"Immensely." Priscilla replied as she stood on her tip toes and kissed him on the cheek. "You know how to throw quite the shindig."

"That I do love." He said with a conceited smile.

"You are so full of yourself." Before Jareth could reply a trumpet sounded and all of the dancers came to a halt.

"Mom, dad." Jareth breathed out. Priscilla looked between Jareth and the couple descending the stairs and could see the resemblances. She was swept up in a tide of nerves.

Standing at the top of the stairs was a regal couple. The women had a short Mohawk punk style blonde hair do and blue eyes. Her dress was dark blue with a sweat heart top and had silver embroidery across the top and bottom. Un-attached princess sleeves with silver embroidery on the top and a bow at the elbow adorned each arm. In her hair was a silver vine like crown with dark blue jewels.

The man had black slicked back into a long low ponytail. He had brown eyes with golden fleck in them. He was wearing a dark blue Jacket with gold lining on the cuffs and lapel. Underneath that was a poet's shirt and a black vest with gold embroidery. His pants were also black as were his knee high boots. Over all of this he wore a black cape that shimmered blue. It was worn in such a way the in clipped on his right shoulder and draped down.

"High King Dante and High Queen Aurelia of the Labyrinth." The paige announced loudly. Jareth and Priscilla watched as his parents made their way towards them.

"Son, it's good to see you." King Dante said as he clasped hands with his son. His mother pulled him into a tight hug.

"I was so worried about you. When we were coming home and found the barrier erected around the Labyrinth we thought the worse, but you are safe now." His mother gushed as she released him then she took notice of Priscilla. "Is this one of the girls that saved the Labyrinth?"

"Yes it is. Mother, father I'd like to introduce you to Priscilla Fairchild." The way that Jareth was had his arm around her waist alerted his parents that he held more than just thanks for this girl. They smiled and shook Priscilla's hand.

"It is nice to meet you." Said Priscilla as she curtsied.

"It is well to meet you as well. If there is anything within our power to grant you for saving our little boy just name it." Queen Aurelia said. Priscilla's eyes lit up with a small glimmer of hope.

"Is it within your power to give me and my friend the power to travel between this world and our own?" The King and Queens faces fell slightly. They knew that above worlders very rarely stayed and were saddened to hear that this held true for their sons love as well.

"I'm sorry my dear, but we do not hold that kind of power." King Dante said sadly. Priscilla nodded solemnly.

"You have parents?" Aimee said popping out of nowhere with Tarrant at her side. Jareth introduced them to his parents and the same thanks for the saving of their son were extended to Aimee and Tarrant.

"It was no problem at all. I had fun. Right Jareth?" Aimee said happily as Jareth gave her a withering glance.

"Yes, you became the sister I never wanted." Jareth replied. The comment went straight over Aimee's head and she continued to grin happily.

King Dante took Jareth aside to discuss what was to be done with Fanyr while Priscilla went to get a drink.

Tarrant and Aimee stood to the side conversing happily when someone tapped Aimee on the shoulder taking her attention away from Tarrant.

"May I have this dance?" Asked Almair. Aimee looked back to Tarrant.

"I'll go have a drink with Priscilla." Tarrant said. "I'll be watching from there." Tarrant said with a meaningful glance at Almair that Aimee didn't notice. Almair nodded.

Almair led Aimee across the dance floor and started to waltz with her.

"How are you enjoying the ball?" Almair asked.

"It's wonderful. It's what every little girl dreams of." Aimee said with a smile.

"I'm glad to hear that." Almair said returning the smile. They danced for a while before the dance was once again interrupted by an announcement of two more fey.

"Lady Allie of the white court." She had long pale blonde hair in a pair of high pigtails and icy blue eyes. She was wearing a low cut gold dress with a high slit up the side. The middle was fitted with wrapped around ribbon and a small bow on the left hip. The short skirt was layered and ruffled. She was also wearing strappy high heels.

"Lady Lacy of the high fey court." She had straight medium length black hair with straight black bangs in a high ponytail and burgundy eyes. She was wearing a black and dark red dress with a corset top. The ribbing was black as was the floral print that started right below the crumb catcher and went down the middle to the bottom of the corset top. The sleek skirt was layer upon layers of ruffles and on the third, sixth, and bottom was the same black floral print. The back was laced. The girls descended together and joined the throng of people.

Almair escorted Aimee back to Tarrant after one more waltz and Aimee was surprised to see the pale blonde girl with her arm entwined with Tarrant who was trying to get away from her.

"Hello." Aimee said politely as Almair was taken by another dancer. Tarrant quickly tore himself away from Allie and wrapped his arm around Aimee. "I don't believe we met."

"Hi. I'm Lady Allie of the white court and an old friend of Tarrant's." She replied while sending a sly wink at Tarrant who stiffened.

"Well my name is Aimee Knight." Aimee said with a sickly sweet smile.

"Ah your one of the _above worlders _that saved the underground, how quaint." The way she said above worlder made it sound like she tasted something disgusting. They elapsed into a glaring contest which Tarrant quickly interrupted.

"I feel like another dance, how about you?" Tarrant said to Aimee, but Allie swooped in.

"I'd love to." She said with a smile as she took Tarrant's arm, the latter looking like he was about to make a run for it.

"I'm so sorry, but Tarrant promised this dance to me." Aimee said with a forced smile as she reclaimed Tarrant and they beat a hasty retreat onto the dance floor before Allie could follow. As they danced Tarrant explained how Allie had shown an interest in him in the way of more than friends, but he always turned her down. According to him she had no since of humor or an adequate appreciation for hats.

Across the ballroom Priscilla was having similar troubles. She had gone to find Jareth only to find him cornered by the Lady Lacy. Priscilla could tell he had slipped into his old cold self in an attempt to get rid of her, but it didn't seem to be working.

"There you are Jareth; I've been looking for you everywhere." Priscilla said while taking Jareth by the arm.

"We've just been having the most wonderful conversation up till now." Lacy said with a sneer. Jareth rolled his eyes in irritation.

"I'm sure you were, but Jareth and I were about to go for a walk in the garden." Priscilla said as she and Jareth began to walk away.

"I'll join you." Lacy said while taking hold of Jareth's other arm. Jareth quickly detached himself from Lacy and fixed her with an icy glare.

"We would like to be alone." Then promptly walked away with Priscilla.

"Who was she?" Priscilla asked when they were safely away from prying ears and eyes.

"The Lady Lacy, she is a member of the high fey court and has been trying to push herself off on me for longer than I can remember." Jareth said with contempt. "But I don't want to talk about her. How have you been enjoying the ball."

"It's been great. I can't remember the last time I had this much fun." Priscilla said as she held Jareth's arm tighter.

"Just wait till the finale." Jareth said with a smirk.

"Finale, what finale?" Priscilla asked.

"You'll have to wait." Jareth said.

"No fair." Priscilla pouted. Jareth just laughed and led her back inside to find Aimee who was the mastermind behind the finale.

Aimee was happily twirling around the dance floor with an equally happy Tarrant. They quickly came from the dance floor when they saw Jareth and Priscilla.

"Is it time?" Asked Aimee excitedly as Tarrant and Priscilla gave her confused looks.

"Time for what?" asked Tarrant.

"Yes, so hurry and get ready." Jareth replied.

"What's going on?" Priscilla asked.

"Sweet." Aimee said then rushed off to the garden.

"Jareth what are you two up to?" Priscilla asked again in frustration.

"You'll see." Jareth said before he made his way back to the dais.

"They got along long enough to come up with something." Tarrant said uncertainly.

"I know, I'm scared too." Priscilla said.

"Attention everyone. Will you please exit to the gardens? We have a grand finale for tonight's festivities. Everyone exited and Jareth came back to escort Priscilla out while Tarrant followed. Aimee was nowhere in sight, but a stage had been erected in the center of the garden made out of earth, trees, and flowers.

"Priscilla will you sing for us tonight?" asked Jareth.

"Of course, I'd love to." Jareth escorted her up to the stage where Aimee joined her.

"Where have you been?" Priscilla asked in a sotto voice.

"Here there everywhere. You ready?" Aimee asked.

"Yeah, I'm going to sing 'Now we are Free'. Priscilla said as Aimee nodded and took her position. Her dress shortened to that of a long tutu and yellow green ballet slipper adorned her feet.

Anol shalom  
Anol sheh lay konnud de ne um {shaddai  
Flavum  
Nom de leesh  
Ham de nam um das  
La um de  
Flavne...

Aimee gently swayed and flowed with the music as Priscilla sang. The crowd was enthralled with her voice.

We de ze zu bu  
We de sooo a ru  
Un va-a pesh a lay  
Un vi-i bee  
Un da la pech ni sa  
(Aaahh)  
Un di-i lay na day  
Un ma la pech a nay  
mee di nu ku

La la da pa da le na da na  
Ve va da pa da le na la dumda

Priscilla sang faster as Aimee matched the tempo with her feet. 

Anol shalom  
Anol sheh ley kon-nud de ne um.  
Flavum.  
Flavum.  
M-ai shondol-lee  
Flavu... {Live on...  
Lof flesh lay  
Nof ne  
Nom de lis  
Ham de num um dass  
La um de  
Flavne..  
Flay  
Shom de nomm  
Ma-lun des  
Dwondi.  
Dwwoondi  
Alas sharum du koos  
Shaley koot-tum.

The song ended beautifully and the crowd erupted into applause. Priscilla stepped down the stairs and was surprised to find that Aimee had not followed.

"Aimee?" Priscilla said uncertainly. Aimee smiled and turned to the crowd.

"Now let's get this party started." Aimee yelled and a very familiar tune started to play, Katie Perry's 'Firework'. Aimee wasn't singing she was dancing. The song itself was coming from a floating cube.

Aimee danced her heart out and Priscilla was surprised when fireworks started to burst into the sky. She saw that Aimee was throwing fire balls at concealed fireworks as she danced to the music. The explosion grew with every word and soon the sky was filled with lights of every color and shape imaginable. Aimee even started to add shape to her fire. With the words boom and moon the fireworks took on the shapes of stars. Aimee danced around the stage with happy abandonment. The whole crowd was dancing and laughing along with her.

A giant explosion ended the song and the crowd erupted into applause. Aimee smiled as she walked down the stairs.

"Wow, that was awesome." Priscilla said.

"I know." Aimee said. Tarrant came up and hugged her.

"You were wonderful, my bonnie lass." Tarrant said as he handed her his handkerchief to wipe the tears from laughing so hard from her eyes.

"Not bad squirt." Jareth said while rubbing her head.

"Hey, I'm not small, I'm just vertically challenged." Aimee replied.

Soon after this the crowd started to slowly disperse and head home. It was three in the morning before the girls returned to their rooms and fell into an exhausted sleep.

They were so deep in their sleep that they did not even wake up when someone entered their rooms and started to spread a shimmering blue powder over them or when that powder started to glow.


	73. Missing

Jareth and Tarrant were beside themselves when they found the girls missing and blue powder lying where they were supposed to be. They sent some to Queen Mirana who sent the reply that it was traveling dust and they were now home.

The men were relieved to know they were safe, but saddened to know that they may never see them again and never go to say good bye. Their sadness was replaced by fury when they realized that it was deliberate. Someone had sent the girls away.


	74. Home Again

Priscilla startled awake when she felt a cold breeze. She tried to grab her blanket, but instead she felt a leg.

"Hey." Aimee's voice said loudly causing Priscilla to wake up fully. They were sitting on the park bench they had been on before their adventure in the same clothes they had left in and it was dark. "What happened?"

"We're home." Priscilla said in a stunned voice as she ran a hand through her hair. She was surprised to find that the hairclips that Jareth gave her were still there. Tears started to overflow and race down her cheeks.

"No… but how… we didn't even get to say good bye." Aimee said sadly then started to cry. Priscilla joined her and they both were crying so loud that they didn't notice a group of thugs surrounding them.

"What do we have here?" One of the thugs said getting the girls attention.

"Two hot babes from what I can tell." Another one said coming closer.

Aimee and Priscilla were frustrated, angry, and sad beyond belief. This was not what they needed right now. Without even thinking Aimee stood up and through a fire ball at them.

"Back off." She yelled as Priscilla caused a gust of wind to push them away. They landed on the ground in heaps and then quickly made a run for it. Then the girls were slightly shocked.

"We still have our powers." Priscilla said.

'_That's because you still have us.' _Aeryck said.

'_We are now a permanent part of you and will stay with you no matter what.' _Zora added.

Any further communication was interrupted by the girl's phones going off.

"Hello." They both said. It was their parents wandering where they were and when they would be home. The girls replied that they were on their way now. They lived in the same general neighborhood so they walked home together. Before they separated to go to their respective homes Aimee asked a question.

"Do you think we will ever see them again?" She asked.

"Yes I do." Priscilla said and then with one last hug she went home.

Aimee put her hands into her pockets as she walked up the steps to her house and let out a surprised gasp. She pulled out an all too familiar handkerchief. Tears started to fall down her cheeks again as she held it close.

'_I will find my way back to you. I swear.' _Aimee and Priscilla thought.


	75. Authors note

There will be a Sequel, but it will take some time. We don't post until the story is complete.

-The Situation

P.S. Please review. Good or bad doesn't matter. Criticism is criticism. Please and thank you.


End file.
